Washington, December 30 (RHC)-- A number of Orthodox Jewish activists have staged a demonstration in front of the White House to celebrate the recent UN Security Council rebuke of Israel's illegal settlement construction on the occupied Palestinian lands. 

The demonstrators on Thursday called for the immediate termination of the Israeli entity and the return of the occupied territories to Palestinians.  They expressed their strong support for President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry, who on Wednesday harshly criticized the Israeli regime over its illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.   

The Security Council last week passed Resolution 2334, which demands an immediate end to illegal settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territories like East Jerusalem.  The resolution was adopted after the US refused to veto it, reversing its longstanding policy of shielding Israel from condemnatory measures at the world body. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to force the Obama administration to veto the resolution, but Washington abstained from the vote, allowing the measure to pass.  On Sunday, a furious Netanyahu summoned U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Shapiro and a group of other foreign envoys over the Security Council's rebuke of Israel's settlement policy.  In addition, Netanyahu also accused Obama of "colluding" with the Palestinians, and carrying out a "shameful ambush" by not vetoing the resolution against Israel.  

A leader of the protesters at the White House said on Thursday that "as Jewish people we are terribly embarrassed and pained since all these crimes are supposedly being done in our names."  And he added: "It's desecration of our religion when sadly our religion is being misused to justify all these crimes." 

"We hope that the [UN Security Council] resolution that was just passed that will lead us to an end of this misuse of my name, of the name of my people, the Jewish people," he added. "This will be a step towards ending this crime of using my religion, God's religion Judaism, to perpetrate crimes against other people." 
 
"And we are all here to condemn Netanyahu's accusations against our president, Barack Obama," he stated.  "And we also have to confirm that what Secretary Kerry mentioned that criticizing Israel, being anti-Zionist is no way anti-Semitic." 

"If Israel commits crimes, if they are endangering not only the Palestinian people but also the Jewish people, or whoever is in the region, we have to condemn it," the leader concluded.  The demonstrators were outraged over America's financial and military support for Israel.  They also called for an end to Israel's aggression against the Palestinians. 

Israel faces deepening tension and isolation in its relations with the U.S. and Europe over Netanyahu's opposition to the formation of a Palestinian state.  The Obama administration has grown increasingly frustrated with Israel's illegal settlement construction, describing it as an obstacle to peace and a "two-state solution."