President-elect Donald Trump says the United Nations is failing to deliver on its promise of positive global cooperation.
“There is such tremendous potential, but it is not living up,” he told reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., according to pool reports. “When do you see the United Nations solving problems? They don’t. They cause problems.”
“So, if it lives up to its potential, it’s a great thing,” Trump added when asked if the U.S. should leave the 71-year-old organization. “And if it doesn’t, it’s a waste of time and money.”
{mosads}Trump has repeatedly attacked the U.N.’s credibility since its Security Council passed a resolution last week demanding an end to Israeli settlement building in occupied territories.
The president-elect on Monday blasted the institution’s effectiveness, dismissing it on Twitter as “just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time.”
The Security Council passed the controversial resolution about Israeli settlements last Friday, after America notably abstained from voting.
The U.S. had the ability to veto the measure but refrained from doing so despite public pressure from Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Obama administration’s decision to let the resolution pass marked a major break in the longstanding U.S. policy of shielding Israel from U.N. reproaches. Critics say Israeli settlements on territories disputed by the Palestinians complicates future peace talks between the two sides.
Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday defended America’s abstention, characterizing it as a tough but vital message for Israel’s government.
“Friends need to tell each other the hard truths, and friendships require mutual respect,” he said at the State Department. “If the choice is one state, Israel can either be Jewish or democratic. It cannot be both, and it won’t ever really be at peace.”
Trump has promised stronger ties between the U.S. and Israel after President Obama’s often frosty relationship with Netanyahu.
The president-elect sharply criticized the Security Council’s resolution for giving the Palestinians too much leverage in negotiations with Israel.