Will the UN decision force Israel to act?

He doesn't have much time left before he leaves office in a few weeks, but U.S. President Barack Obama got in one final, parting shot against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in revenge for the latter's speech in Congress in March 2015.

On Dec. 23, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution demanding an end to illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The United States did not veto the motion, abstaining instead, but the decision is of critical importance given that the U.S. opted not to stand by Israel, its most privileged ally.

Netanyahu immediately said Israel would not recognize or adhere to the decision before subsequently announcing diplomatic measures against the 12 countries that signed the UNSC decision, as well as a cessation of trade ties with them.

As such, the FMs of Britain, France, Russia, China, Japan, Ukraine, Angola, Egypt, Uruguay, Spain, Senegal and New Zealand will not be accorded meetings, while their respective ambassadors will not be received by the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Even a planned visit next week that was to be organized by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, in which Volodymyr Groysman was to come to Israel as the first Ukrainian Jewish PM, was summarily canceled.

But the disappointment and fury elicited by the U.N. decision was not confined to these responses, as Netanyahu vowed to reveal that it was Obama who personally organized the U.N.'s move. At the same time, he also announced plans for new settlements.

Amid the furor, President-elect Donald Trump also waded into the fray on Twitter. "As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th."

Before long, he continued: "The United Nations has such great potential but right now it is just...