Palestinian-proposed Security Council resolution on Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank will be brought to a vote today or on Monday

Palestinian-proposed Security Council resolution on Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank will be brought to a vote today or on Monday

By Haaretz
Published 21:57 26.12.14
Chief Palestinian negotiater Saeb Erekat says that the new Palestinian-proposed Security Council resolution on Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank will be brought to a vote today or on Monday next week, Israel Radio reported on Friday.

Earlier this month, Jordan submitted the draft resolution on behalf of the Palestinians, calling for an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territories by 2017. The resolution sets a two-year deadline to reach a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The draft has been amended, but the final version has yet to be made public, Israel Radio said.

Haaretz reported earlier this week that the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations had revised the proposal, with a new version defining East Jerusalem as the capital of the Palestinian state.

 

The revision also states that the Palestinians demand full sovereignty over all areas captured after June 4, 1967, do not recognize any demographic and geographic changes made by Israel, and emphasizes that all the settlements violate international law, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said.

A senior Palestinian official involved in the draft resolution told Haaretz that the revisions do not reflect a change in Palestinian stances, but are merely meant to sharpen some points.

Dr. Majdi Khaldi, the advisor for international relations to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said the PA was renewing its contacts with the UN Security Council member nations this week in an attempt to guarantee a majority in support of the resolution.

In UN diplomatic terms, the Palestinian proposal was “put in blue” last week, which means it is a draft resolution that is approaching its final stage of formulation, whose sponsors seek to put it before a vote soon. Such a draft resolution is printed in blue ink and officially distributed to Security Council members, usually within 24 hours before the vote.

A top Palestinian official told Haaretz on Monday that efforts are now focused on holding the vote before the end of the month, but that if a majority is not assured, then the vote would be held only early next year, after the changes in the membership of the Security Council for 2015 take effect. These changes, which could well strengthen the Palestinian position, and may guarantee a majority for them, include the entry of Indonesia in place of Australia, Angola in place of Rwanda, and Spain instead of Luxembourg.