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Controversial Palestinian-led resolution submitted to UN Security Council
Jordan yesterday tabled a draft resolution to the United Nations (UN) Security Council on behalf of the Palestinian leadership, calling for a 12-month deadline on peace negotiations and an Israeli West Bank withdrawal by 2017.
However, the draft resolution appeared to also include elements of a French counterweight proposal, in an attempt to make it more palatable to Security Council members, including the United States, which can exercise its veto on the proposal.
As it stands, the draft resolution retains the Palestinian demand for mandated Israeli West Bank withdrawal. However, it also incorporates the French suggestion of a time limit to negotiate a peace accord. Such an agreement, according to the resolution, would be based on the pre-1967 borders and security arrangements, with “Jerusalem as the shared capital of the two States which fulfills the legitimate aspirations of both parties and protects freedom of worship.” It adds that both parties should “abstain from any unilateral and illegal actions, including settlement activities.”
Although the resolution has been tabled, it is unclear when a vote might take place. According to AFP, Palestinian UN representative Riyad Mansour indicated that the Palestinians are keen to delay a vote to allow for further negotiations. Mansour said, “We will continue negotiating with all of them and with the Americans if they are ready and willing so that we can perhaps succeed in having something adopted by the Security Council.” The United States has long rejected all unilateral actions over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as they undermine the bilateral diplomatic process. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week urged Washington to veto the Palestinian-backed resolution and “stand by its position for the past 47 years that a solution to the conflict will be achieved through negotiations.”
Meanwhile, also yesterday, the European Parliament voted in favour of a motion which calls for recognition of a Palestinian state “in principle” and only in the context of a two-state solution following peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.