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Israelis Were Wary of Post-Election "Kill Zone"
(Wall Street Journal) Jay Solomon - Resolutions at the UN concerning the Israeli settlement issue had been circulating for around a year, according to U.S. and Arab diplomats. Obama administration officials said their plans were complicated by the U.S. presidential elections. The White House didn't want to undermine the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton. Israel's government became increasingly convinced Obama might take action after Donald Trump's surprise victory. Israeli officials have described the time before the president-elect's Jan. 20 inauguration as the "kill zone," when the Obama administration could take steps that would be difficult to reverse. A senior Israeli official said its government got wind that Secretary of State John Kerry conveyed to Palestinian lead negotiator Saeb Erekat at a meeting on Dec. 12 at the State Department that the U.S. was likely to abstain on the UN resolution. "Kerry was colluding with the Palestinians to put the resolution in motion," said the Israeli official.