Palestinians: Draft condemning West Bank settlements ready for UN
Chief Palestinian negotiator says he expects resolution to be put forth at Security Council in February, and hopes U.S. will not use its veto.
By Shlomo Shamir and Reuters Tags: Israel news West Bank settlements UN PalestiniansStory Highlights
- Erekat: We are not condemning Israel. We are condemning settlement activities
- Some 15 nations helped draft the proposal
- Resolution must be presented by a full member of council
A Palestinian draft resolution condemning Israel's West Bank settlement activity is ready to be presented to the United Nations Security Council, a senior Palestinian official said on Wednesday.
Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator in peace talks with Israel, said he expected the resolution would be put to a Security Council vote in February, after the United States ends its presidency of the council.
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The West Bank settlement of Bat Ayin |
| Photo by: Nir Kafri |
"We are not condemning Israel. We are condemning settlement activities and we hope the resolution will pass," Erekat said.
He said 15 nations had helped draft the proposal after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas requested a UN Security Council meeting to discuss settlement building in November.
"Something must be done on the international level to halt the settlement expansion which the Israeli government is undertaking in the West Bank, including Jerusalem," Nabil Abu Rdainah, Abbas's spokesman, said at the time.
As the Palestinians have only observer status at the United Nations, the resolution will be presented by a full member of the council.
Erekat said he hoped the United States would not use its veto to defeat the resolution and added that if it did not succeed at the Security Council, "we will go to the International Court of Justice."
A senior UN official told Haaretz on Wednesday that the Palestinians and representatives of Arab countries are working to promote the resolution, and have met with members of the Non-Aligned Movement.
The Palestinians want Israel to stop building on land, including areas in and around East Jerusalem captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War, where they plan to found an independent state.
Major powers including the United States see the settlements as an obstacle to a peace deal that would end the six-decade-old conflict.
Weeks of intensive U.S. diplomatic efforts to revive direct peace talks between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu collapsed when Israel refused to extend a 10-month partial building freeze in the West Bank.
Nearly 500,000 Jews live on land captured by Israel in the Six-Day War, where the Palestinians want to found a state that would also include the Gaza Strip, separated from the West Bank.
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"We are not condemning Israel. We are condemning settlement activities" ... but the settlement program is an Israeli program. Electricity, roads, water, IDF protection if Israel did not want settlers there would be no settlers. For years Israel wants about 50% of the West Bank for that Israel needs settlers.
We Palestinians have seen and heard condemnations of Israel for decades now, but no real action from the US or Europeans in terms of forcing a 2-state solution. Condemnations mean nothing in today's "law of the jungle" world.
The UN offers hope, leading to the Saudi Plan which offers the blueprint for the only just and fair solution.
Check off another month. While Israel distracts herself with idiocy about releasing Pollard, and big talk against Iran, and dealing with anti-Arab racist running amock, Abbas is keeping his plan on track. Keep up with the distractions, and Abbas wins. The only other choice is to pre-empt him by presenting a full and complete detailed Israeli peace plan -- complete with full detailed maps, a status offer on Jslm, and token acceptance of a very very limited right of return/compensation plan. That is Israel's only option.
this means that Netanyahu has got around 40 days (minus holidays) to get moving. Otherwise, the USA will abstain.
Geneva IV specifically prohibits the acquisition of land and building and placing on that land of it citizens by a military occupying power. It does not matter in Geneva IV is the land is that of an recognized state or not. AND Israel signed and ratified Geneva IV in the days when Israel still believed in adhering to past written agreements and treaties.
It's nothing more than an armstice line of 1949 war when Arab countries rejected UN partition resolution and attacked Israel. Likewsie, Jerusalem and the lands Palestinians are referring to are liberated historical Jewish lands, not captured lands.
If it is not joined with a resolution condemning the on going terror rockets on civilians in the Negev, then Israelis will feel even more that the UN is irrelevant when it comes to the cause of peace. Just look at how they are handling the N Korean terorrist attacks on the south!
"Weeks of intensive U.S. diplomatic efforts ..."
This approach is perfectly reasonable and is no more unilateral that the Israeli settlement building is unilateral.
Obama will serve his massa Netanyahu. He will veto.
here is no army in the world who can police Israel into submission.
Put the resolution forward, and see where free nations really stand.
Obama has already come out against settlements just as Bush came out against settlements before him. America opposes settlements and has always done so. Why then is it so hard to put this into action at the UN?
Write to your congress persons even though they will likely vote against it. let them know there are millions who support it. Support it on other levels, advocate for it and help expose the zionist propganda that will be coming out todefeat this noble attempt. Be prepared to confront those who will lie, deceive and maniopulate to defeat this internationa effort. Hopefully, by February there will be scores of nations calling for a recognition of palestine within the lines of pre-June 4 1967 with all of EJ as their capital. Act now!
It will be a difficult one for Israel to block this one... I don't know how the US would stop this without losing its moral high ground... I am so happy to see Palestinians fighting for their independence without violence!