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Secretary of State Nominee Tillerson Criticizes U.S. Decision to Abstain from UN Israel Vote
(Washington Post) Steven Mufson and Karoun Demirjian - At a confirmation hearing with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson condemned the Obama administration's decision not to veto a UN Security Council resolution critical of Israel's settlements in the West Bank. He said the resolution was "not helpful" and "undermines" the conditions for peace talks to continue. He described Secretary of State John Kerry's subsequent speech criticizing Israel as "quite troubling." He also suggested the onus was on the Palestinians to make a "serious demonstration" of good faith toward negotiations before there could be a discussion about settlement construction. Tillerson said it was important for the U.S. to recommit to its alliance with Israel, which he said "is, was and always has been our most important ally" in the Middle East.