As a hateful parting shot at America's closest and most strategic ally, outgoing President Barack Obama orchestrated a "shameful" abstention by the U.S. in a United Nations vote Friday which allowed the passage of a resolution condemning Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank.

As reported by Fox News, the UN Security Council resolution was put forward by four nations a day after Egypt withdrew it Thursday under pressure from President-elect Donald Trump. It passed with 14 votes in favor, to a round of applause, after U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power abstained.

"The resolution is too narrowly focused on settlements when we all know, or all should know there are other factors that contribute to the conflict between Israel and Palestinians," she explained.

The resolution, warning that Israeli settlement expansion is “steadily eroding the two-state solution and entrenching a one-state reality,” calls on Israel to “immediately and completely cease all settlement activity in occupied territories, including East Jerusalem.”

The U.S. has veto power in the Security Council but Obama, whose antipathy to Israel has been abundantly clear in the last eight years, allowed the resolution to pass.

"This is absolutely shameful," said House Speaker Paul Ryan. "Today's vote is a blow to peace that sets a dangerous precedent for further diplomatic efforts to isolate and demonize Israel."

A senior Israeli official also called it "shameful": "President Obama and Secretary [of State John] Kerry are behind this shameful move against Israel at the U.N.

"The U.S. administration secretly cooked up with the Palestinians an extreme anti-Israeli resolution behind Israel's back which would be a tail-wind for terror and boycotts and effectively make the Western Wall [the Jewish holy site in the Old City of Jerusalem] occupied Palestinian territory.”

“This last minute political maneuvering is shameful," said Ric Grenell, former spokesman for the U.S. Mission to the UN. "It is inconsistent with the long standing U.S. policy that no country or organization should be dictating solutions on the two parties.

"Today’s abstention by the Obama Administration will make it harder to find a peaceful solution because it imposes outside positions on Israel without letting them negotiate directly,” he added.

"It was to be expected that Israel's greatest ally would act in accordance with the values that we share and that they would have vetoed this disgraceful resolution," said Israel's Ambassador Danon. "I have no doubt that the new U.S. administration and the incoming UN Secretary General will usher in a new era in terms of the UN's relationship with Israel."

No doubt indeed. Mere minutes after the vote, Trump tweeted, "As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th."