(VOVworld) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu summoned the US ambassador to Israel, Daniel Shapiro, after the US administration’s refusal to veto a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel's settlements in the West Bank.

Buildings under construction in the Israeli settlement of Pesqat Ze'ev, north of Jerusalem (Photo: EPA)

According to an Israeli official, the United States abstained on the resolution, allowing it to pass, rather than vetoing it--as it usually does with resolutions it sees as overly critical of Israel. The move came hours after 10 other ambassadors from countries that had supported the resolution were also summoned and followed Netanyahu's strong criticism of the Obama administration in his weekly cabinet meeting.