"Is US abstaining unprecedented? It has been unprecedented under Obama, but other US administrations have regularly abstained from or supported UN resolutions against Israeli actions.
Here is a list:
There have been 226 UNSC resolutions relating to Israel since 1948. The US has abstained from less than two dozen of them.
In 2002 the US abstained on Resolution 1345. The resolution came at the height of the Second Intifada and called for the end of the Ramallah headquarters of Yasser Arafat. In March of 2002 Israel had sent forces into Ramallah and invested Arafat’s muqata command center in response to a wave of terror and uprising that began in 2000. The resolution also called for Palestinians to give up on the right of return in return for Israel withdrawing to the 1967 borders and sharing Jerusalem. The US representative John Negroponte abstained from the resolution. China, France, Russia, the UK, Syria and others supported it.
The US abstained on UN Resolution in 1322 in 2000. Sponsored by Malaysia it deplored the visit of Ariel Sharon to the Temple Mount. The resolution referenced former resolutions such as 242 and 228 and in that sense called on Israel to return to the 1967 lines. The US worked to water-down the resolution’s deep anti-Israel language, but still abstained at the end.
In 1996 the UNSC adopted resolution 1073 critiquing Israel’s actions in Jerusalem. It was in response to Israel opening a tunnel near the West Wall and sought to reverse that while also calling for peace talks to continue. The US abstained.
In 1988 the UNSC adopted resolution 611. The council condemned the killing of Fatah leader Khalil al-Wazir in Tunisia. The US abstained.
The US abstained in 1988’s resolution 608 that condemned Israel for deporting Palestinians.
The US abstained on resolution 605 in 1987 in a resolution that condemned Israel for killing Palestinian students. It noted; “Decides to keep the situation in the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied by Israeli since 1967, including Jerusalem, under review.” The US felt the resolution did not provide any blame to the Palestinians.
In 1986 resolution 592 resulted in a US abstention. It condemned Israel for killing Palestinian students at Bir Zeit university. The US also abstained on resolution 587 in 1986 which condemned Israel’s ally in Lebanon, the Southern Lebanese Army, for an attack on a UN compound.
The US abstained on resolution 573 in 1985 which condemned Israel for an air raid on Tunisia in response to the killing of three Israeli citizens in Cyprus.
Resolution 517 in 1982 condemned Israel for its involvement in Lebanon. The US abstained.
Abstained in 487 in 1980 condemning Israel’s annexation of East Jerusalem. Resolution 476 also condemned Israel regarding Jerusalem and the US abstained. 471 in 1980 condemned Israel’s settlement activity and the US abstained. Resolution 469 which condemned Israel for expelling a mayor in Hebron was also abstained from, similar to 468. The US also abstained on 467 relating to Israel’s actions in Lebanon in 1980.
The US abstained from resolution 452 in 1979 which condemned Israel’s settlement activity. Resolution 446 noted “”that the policy and practices of Israel in establishing settlements in the Palestinian and other Arab territories occupied since 1967 have no legal validity and constitute a serious obstruction to achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East.” The US abstained, along with the UK and Norway.
Resolution 344 called for a peace conference in 1973 and the US, France, USSR and UK abstained.
In 1969 resolution 271 condemned Israel over an arson attack in Jerusalem against the Al-Aqsa mosque carried out by a tourist. The US abstained along with Paraguay, Finland and Columbia. Resolution 252 in 1968 condemned Israel changing the status of Jerusalem. The US and Canada abstained."
https://sethfrantzman.com/2016/12/24/abstaining-from-history-heres-all-the-un-resolutions-on-israel-the-us-abstained-on/
