BICOM

The United States and European countries are attempting to shape the text of the resolution expected to be approved by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly later this week that would recognise the Palestinian delegation as representatives of a ‘non-member state.’

The Palestinian Authority (PA) appears to have secured overwhelming support for the resolution from countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Arab world and Haaretz reports that Israel’s foreign ministry estimates that at least 150 of the 193 UN member states will support the initiative.

As such, attention has now turned to the wording of the resolution itself. United States officials are thought to be working to insert certain conditions into the text in order to soften its impact. These include pledges that the Palestinians do not ask for the International Criminal Court in the Hague to extend its jurisdiction to Palestine, which would allow them to pursue criminal proceedings against Israelis. It also includes a Palestinian commitment to return to direct talks without preconditions and a pledge that the resolution is purely symbolic.

According to the Daily Telegraph this morning, Foreign Secretary William Hague outlined similar conditions to PA President Mahmoud Abbas during a phone conversation on Monday night. However, diplomatic sources in New York indicate that the PA is set to rebuff such an understanding.

Meanwhile, France’s Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius yesterday confirmed that his country would vote in favour of the resolution, following an undertaking made by former French President Nikolas Sarkozy a year ago. Spain, Switzerland and Portugal are set to follow suit, but Germany and the Czech Republic are likely to vote against the initiative.

In Israel, media reports suggest that the Israeli government will not adopt severe measures against the PA should the resolution be adopted. A senior diplomatic source told Haaretz that Israel will refrain from taking any dramatic steps against the PA for fear that the international response will be just as harmful for Israel and that instead, “it’s preferable for the Palestinians to be under pressure to renew the negotiations, as they promised.”