{The amended Security Council resolution calls for East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state and a halt on Jewish settlements on Palestinian lands, among other provisions. }
Palestinian envoys have presented a more strongly-worded UN draft resolution on statehood that could come up for a vote at the Security Council later this week.
The text, which was submitted by Security Council member Jordan on Monday, contains new provisions on declaring East Jerusalem the capital of a future Palestinian state, settling the issue of Palestinian prisoner releases, and halting Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
It also sets a 12-month deadline to reach a final peace agreement, and demands a full Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian lands by 2017. “Both our leaderships will be discussing, to find the best way and the best timing to vote on the Security Council resolution,” Jordanian Ambassador Dina Kawar told reporters.
Meanwhile, Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour said the vote could “realistically” take place on Tuesday, though no firm date has been confirmed. To pass, the motion requires a “yes” vote from at least nine of the 15 council members, but it can be vetoed by any of the council’s five permanent members, including the United States.
It remains unclear if the Palestinians will seek a quick vote or hold off until January 1, when five new members join the Security Council. Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain and Venezuela will begin their two-year stint, replacing Argentina, Australia, Luxembourg, Rwanda and South Korea. US strongly opposed to resolution The US, a staunch supporter of Israel, has said it would not support the resolution, as US State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke said it “sets arbitrary deadlines”.
“And those are more likely to curtail useful negotiations than to bring them to a successful conclusion,” he said. “We think that the resolution fails to account for Israel’s legitimate security needs, and the satisfaction of those needs, of course, integral to a sustainable settlement.” A first version of the resolution was formally presented to the council on December 17.
Discussions on the draft resolution come amid mounting international alarm over the ongoing violence and the failure to restart negotiations. Israeli troops shot dead a 17-year-old Palestinian boy in the occupied West Bank during a stone-throwing incident Monday near the northern city of Nablus.
The Palestinians have warned that if the bid to win support for a UN resolution fails, they are prepared to join the International Criminal Court to file suits against Israel.
MEE and agencies
Leave a Reply