Palestinian UNSC Resolution to Face Vote before New Year

Despite a US warning to Palestinian leadership to wait until after Israeli elections in March to submit its United Nations Security Council resolution to a vote, chief negotiator Sa’ib Erakat told Russian reporters on Tuesday that the vote will come before the New Year. The Arab world has backed the resolution submitted by Jordan that calls for a conclusion to Palestinian-Israeli peace talks within a year and a complete withdrawal by Israel from lands seized in the 1967 war by 2017. The United States and Israel oppose the measure, arguing that Palestinian statehood must result from negotiations between the parties and not through unilateral moves. Hamas opposes the resolution and has demanded that it be withdrawn. A spokesman for the faction said “it doesn’t represent a consensus of the Palestinian people.” In Algeria, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas repeated his threat to end cooperation with Israel if the resolution fails to pass. He said, “The Israeli government will then be obliged to assume its responsibilities as an occupier.” It was reported earlier in the week that US Secretary of State John Kerry had told the Palestinians that submitting the resolution for a vote before the Israeli election would strengthen incumbent Prime Minister Netanyahu’s reelection bid.