Abbas, in NY, to Submit Proposal for Israeli Withdrawal

In New York for the start of the new session of the United Nations General Assembly, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says he’ll submit his new proposal for peace with Israel to the Security Council immediately following his speech to the GA on Thursday, requesting that his plan be put in the form of a Security Council binding resolution. Key to the Abbas plan is a built-in schedule for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from land Israel acquired in the 1967 war – land the Palestinians claim for a state. Previous attempts at brokering peace have, to the chagrin of the Palestinians, failed to include timetables for implementation. In his plan, Abbas allots three-years until the last Israeli soldiers are removed. If the Abbas proposal comes for a vote in the Security Council, the United States is expected to use its veto. Abbas has threatened that if his resolution fails he will again turn to unilateral actions such as seeking membership in UN and other international agencies including the International Criminal Court where cases charging Israelis with war crimes would be initiated. On Tuesday, Abbas met with US Secretary of State John Kerry to discuss the aftermath of the Gaza war. Kerry announced another $71 million in American humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.