Turning allies into enemies and enemies into allies. It’s all explained in my forthcoming book, The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration’s War On America. “US ‘may not veto UN resolution on Jerusalem,'” from the BBC, March 28 (thanks to Weasel Zippers):
The US is considering abstaining from a possible UN Security Council resolution against Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem, sources suggest to the BBC.
The possibility surfaced at talks in Paris last week between a senior US official and Qatar’s foreign minister.
The official said the US would “seriously consider abstaining” if the issue of Israeli settlements was put to the vote, a diplomat told the BBC.
US officials in Washington have not confirmed the report. […]
The US usually blocks Security Council resolutions criticising Israel. […]
The reported exchange between the US official and Qatar’s foreign minister came to light during a meeting at an Arab League summit in the Libyan town of Sirte.
A diplomatic source told the BBC that Qatar’s Foreign Minister, Sheikh Hamad Bin Jasim Al Thani – who is also the prime minister – had recently met an official high up in the Obama administration during a visit to France.
During their talks, Sheikh Hamad asked the US official whether Washington would guarantee not to veto a UN Security Council resolution that was critical of Israel’s ongoing settlement construction in East Jerusalem.
The diplomat said the US official had replied that the current feeling in Washington was that they would “seriously consider abstention”.
An Egyptian official is said to have confirmed his knowledge of the US position during a meeting at the Arab League summit, which was held behind closed doors. […]
The BBC’s Rana Jawad, in Sirte, says that many people will see the comments as yet another sign of Washington’s recent dispute with Israel….
No kidding, really?