The U.N. Security Council issued a formal statement on Monday denouncing Israel's plan to expand settlements on occupied Palestinian territory, the first action the United States has allowed the body to take against its ally Israel in six years.
Washington's support for the presidential statement - action the 15-member council has to agree by consensus - came after the United Arab Emirates said it would not put a stronger draft resolution on the issue to a vote, a move that could have prompted a U.S. veto.
