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UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. (Associated Press)
Last update - 12:27 13/06/2008
UN to discuss resolution demanding that Israel halt West Bank settlement construction
By Shlomo Shamir, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Settlements, United Nation 

The United Nations Security Council is scheduled to discuss a draft resolution next week demanding that Israel halt all construction in West Bank settlements.

Representatives of the UN's Arab bloc met Thursday at the UN headquarters in New York for a final discussion of the draft and made last-minute revisions in preparation for its submission to the Security Council.

UN sources told Haaretz that the draft is the first that addresses the settlement issue in "a sweeping, unequivocal and direct manner." According to the sources, the driving force behind the resolution is Saudi Arabia, although officially, it was an initiative of the Arab League.
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Diplomats affiliated with the Arab bloc said that Arab representatives at the UN have been discussing the new resolution for several weeks, during which time the draft has undergone several revisions.

The decision to formally submit the draft next week, the diplomats said, was made in response to Housing Minister Ze'ev Boim's announcement that tenders had been issued for the construction of 120 housing units in Har Homa and 700 units in Pisgat Ze'ev. Both Har Homa and Pisgat Ze'ev are neighborhoods of East Jerusalem.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was sharply critical of the decision to issue the tenders, calling the building plans a blatant violation of the road map peace plan. According to the diplomats, this condemnation by Ban spurred the Arab bloc to expedite its deliberations and request an urgent meeting of the Security Council, at which they plan to submit the draft.

If the resolution is put to a vote, most Security Council members are expected to vote in favor of it. However, the United States' position on the issue is not yet clear. Although the American administration has consistently opposed Israeli construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the U.S. nonetheless generally vetoes Security Council resolutions critical of Israel, viewing them as unhelpful interference in the peace process.

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      1.   It`s about time 20:34  |  BBSNews 12/06/08
      2.   Non-Binding Resolution Aren`t Law; Can`t Prevent Anything 20:45  |  JP 12/06/08
      3.   More B.S. less News 20:52  |  Steve 12/06/08
      4.   Non-binding but further isolates (psychologically) Israel 20:55  |  The Farmer 12/06/08
      5.   The rogue state of Israel 20:58  |  gearoid 12/06/08
      6.   Majority of UN Members are Dictatorships and Kingdoms 21:06  |  Straight Talk 12/06/08
      7.   binding 21:09  |  attorney 12/06/08
      8.   Oh dear...where`s the American Jewish Lobby when you need it? 21:09  |  Clickfool 12/06/08
      9.   Sanctions on Israel will follow 21:12  |  Clickfool 12/06/08
      10.   Ban states continued settlements construction illegal 21:34  |  BBSNews 12/06/08
      11.   Banning construction 21:39  |  Michael 12/06/08
      12.   # 2 jp 21:47  |  Axel 12/06/08
      13.   #4 JP, read more closely: its the SC, not the GA 21:58  |  Ben Alofs 12/06/08
      14.   #9 - Don`t hold your breath :-) Cheers 22:16  |  JP 12/06/08
      15.   #7 - Exactly 22:17  |  JP 12/06/08
      16.   #4 - Pal. Chickens are Roosting Right Now 22:21  |  JP 12/06/08
      17.   #10 - Alex - This one won`t be binding either. 22:24  |  JP 12/06/08
      18.   Ben Alof - Only under some portions of the Charter 22:25  |  JP 12/06/08
      19.   UN membership 22:30  |  Space 12/06/08
      20.   If the US doesn`t veto, 22:37  |  Rowan 12/06/08
      21.   Doing something useful with this (UN)necessary organization. 22:38  |  Practical idea in NY 12/06/08
      22.   At last! The UN should now seriously consider suspending israel 22:56  |  lakshmi 12/06/08
      23.   Newsflash!! THE UN HATES ISRAEL AND JEWS! 23:09  |  Avram 12/06/08
      24.   Same UN that created Israel? 23:16  |  W 12/06/08
      25.   Not needed #8 - Both McCain, Obama say united J`lem is Israel`s 23:17  |  Dr. L. Brnd 12/06/08
      26.   #18 - Democracy is One Person One Vote, Not One Dictator One Vote 23:25  |  JP 12/06/08
      27.   UN 00:01  |  Jazmin 13/06/08
      28.   #24 - The UN didn`t create Israel; It Admitted Israel as a Member 00:08  |  JP 13/06/08
      29.   Finally, someone sticking up for Pals—look on the BBC today 00:30  |  Clark 13/06/08
      30.   Time to kick the Israeli Squatters out of Palestine 00:30  |  POP 13/06/08
      31.   "unhelpful interference in the peace process" 00:33  |  Frank 13/06/08
      32.   Slap Sanctions on Israel - Settlement-building ILLEGAL 00:33  |  Jason 13/06/08
      33.   Extremists 01:41  |  Gili 13/06/08
      34.   UN and Arab league anti-semitism continues 01:52  |  David 13/06/08
      35.   Transfer of Occupying Powers population into 01:56  |  Pali Lawyer 13/06/08
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      39.   UN`s Arab bloc endorses terror 05:28  |  Akiva P 13/06/08
      40.   gearoid @#5,:"coralling Palestinian like cattle" 05:31  |  Akiva P 13/06/08
      41.   attorney @#7 05:34  |  Akiva P 13/06/08
      42.   Axel @#12 05:39  |  Akiva P 13/06/08
      43.   This is prcisely why the UN is defunct 05:42  |  Akiva P 13/06/08
      44.   Interesting turn of phrase in the first sentence 05:47  |  Johnboy 13/06/08
      45.   NO to Wahhabhist inspired UN Crap 06:24  |  Brod 13/06/08
      46.   #38 FGS asks a question... 07:40  |  Johnboy 13/06/08
      47.   "the Jordan Palestine law preventing Jewish citizenship" 08:19  |  Rowan 13/06/08
      48.   Our unquestionable rights on the Land of Israel. 08:26  |  Jean Van Daem 13/06/08
      49.   The world has caught on to Israels priorities 09:11  |  Natallie Durson 13/06/08
      50.   Settlements 09:23  |  Wise Saba 13/06/08
      51.   Stopping construction makes sense anyway 09:39  |  Outsider 13/06/08
      52.   Guess who will use the veto 09:51  |  Janice 13/06/08
      53.   Jean van Daem peddles old San Remo lies # 48 10:12  |  Clickfool 13/06/08
      54.   More on Jean van Daem`s San Remo lie 10:14  |  Clickfool 13/06/08
      55.   Israeli Resolution: Restraint of Military Retaliation Thinner 10:44  |  The Archives 13/06/08
      56.   #51 I think you`re making an unwarranted assumption, Outsider 11:00  |  Johnboy 13/06/08
      57.   #52 Not quite true, Janice 11:12  |  Johnboy 13/06/08
      58.   It`s About Time 11:17  |  Sylvie 13/06/08
      59.   #48 Run that by me again, Jean??? 11:28  |  Johnboy 13/06/08
      60.   PARTENERS IN CRIME 12:15  |  VIPER 13/06/08
      61.   Clickfool 12:57  |  Fritz 13/06/08
      62.   Johnboy vs. JVD 13:14  |  Axel 13/06/08
      63.   This is way overdue... 13:58  |  Dutch 13/06/08
      64.   #22 Lakshmi. You act like the U.N. demonizing Israel is new. 15:29  |  Chaim 13/06/08
      65.   Chaim, The UN has every right to reprimand Israel 16:25  |  Dutch 13/06/08
      66.   Clickfool (53,54) Fritz 61 17:12  |  Rob 13/06/08
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