A resolution recently adopted by the U.N. Security Council has unsettled Israel, and the country is responding accordingly. The resolution, which was brought forth Dec. 23, characterizes Israel's settlement-building activity in the West Bank as a "flagrant violation of international law" and demands that Israel abide by the regulations laid out for occupying powers per the Fourth Geneva Convention. Not since 2009 has a similar measure been adopted by the U.N. Security Council.

Israel has since begun to confront the countries that took part in the vote. Among those countries is the United States, which abstained from the vote instead of vetoing it outright as it ordinarily does. In doing so, it has handed off particularly tense U.S.-Israeli relations to the next president heading into 2017.

The remaining 14 members of the U.N. Security Council voted in favor of the resolution. As of Dec. 27, Israel's Foreign Ministry has temporarily "limited" its diplomatic work with those countries. A spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blamed Washington specifically for the resolution's adoption. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power clarified in her address that it was the longstanding position of the U.S. delegation that accelerated settlement activity since 2011 risked destabilizing Israel's own security in a way that would make peace between Israel and the Palestinian territories unachievable. Though Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to present a final effort at the peace process during the Jan. 15 Paris Peace Conference, it is unlikely to mend the Israeli government's negative view of the U.S. abstention.

Even though the resolution will not stem Israeli policy in building out settlements (in fact, Israeli officials will review the permits to some 600 homes in East Jerusalem on Dec. 28, as planned), there are concerns about the resolution being used as a legal precedent for bringing suits against Israel. More important, the diplomatic stir caused by Israel's reaction to the resolution's adoption could also damage Israel's outreach with African countries. Over the weekend, Israel recalled its ambassador from Senegal, one of the four backers of the resolution. Moreover, Israel over the weekend announced it would cut all aid programs to Senegal. Senegal was a primary strategic artery for Israel to maintain ties in West Africa. The loss of such a beneficial relationship, though relatively small by global standards, will be felt by Israel, if only temporarily.