Palestinians push for UN resolution

The Palestinians are to push forward a draft UN resolution demanding an end to Israeli occupation, despite what they call warnings the United States is ready to veto the measure.

An Arab-backed text setting November 2016 as the deadline for an Israeli withdrawal is to be formally submitted to the UN Security Council. The 15-member council will vote on it at a later date.

"We will submit our project to the UN Security Council tomorrow," Nimr Hammad, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, said on Tuesday.

The decision follows the latest series of meetings between US Secretary of State John Kerry, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian negotiators and European ministers.

Kerry suggested a UN resolution could play into the hands of Israeli hardliners as the country heads toward elections in March.

"Many of us share a deep sense of urgency about this," he said. "But we're also very mindful that we have to carefully calibrate any steps that are taken for this difficult moment in the region."

The Palestinians say Kerry has threatened a veto from the US.

Asked what kind of resolution the US might be able to support at the UN, Kerry insisted on Monday that the US administration has "made no determinations... about language, approaches, specific resolutions, any of that."

A US official traveling with Kerry in London said on Tuesday that comment still stands.

The Palestinians began circulating a draft at the end of September, after President Mahmud Abbas told the UN General Assembly it was time to fast-track Palestinian statehood.

The text, put forward by the Arab group, calls for "the full withdrawal of Israel, the occupying power, from all of the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem".

This should be completed "as rapidly as possible and be fully completed within a specified time frame, not to exceed November 2016".

It asks the world body to respect "the independence and sovereignty of the state of Palestine and the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people".

Diplomats say the text stands no chance of approval, but the Palestinians want to jolt the Security Council into action to address the worsening Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

(China Daily 12/18/2014 page11)