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….Kerry visited New Zealand on November 13, shortly after the US presidential election, and took part in "deep" conversation over how its government– which holds a non-permanent seat on the Security Council until the end of this calendar year– could engage in a UN-related initiative on the Middle East peace process. ... Egypt drafted the resolution that ultimately condemned Israel's settlement enterprise as an illegal operation contrary to the pursuit of peace with the Palestinians. The resolution also condemned incitement to violence by the Palestinian authorities. The Egyptians coordinated on the language with the Palestinian Authority, whose chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, met with Kerry at the State Department on December 12. Israeli officials believe it was at this meeting that Kerry first relayed the president's willingness to abstain. The White House said on Friday that US President Barack Obama had not decided how to proceed until hours before the vote. Last minute, however, the Egyptian government pulled its own draft– due to pressure from the Israeli government, according to Western diplomatic sources, and after President-elect Donald Trump called publicly and privately for the resolution to be scrapped. The draft was then dusted off by New Zealand, which formally introduced the resolution for a vote.----- New Zealand meeting calls into question White House narrative on role in UN vote, The Jerusalem Post ^ | 12/24/2016 | Michael Wilner