Palestine Seeks UNSC Vote on Israeli Withdrawal This Year

The Palestinian UN ambassador said Friday his government wants the UN Security Council to vote on a resolution before the end of the year.

The Palestinian UN ambassador said Friday his government wants the UN Security Council to vote on a resolution before the end of the year that would set November 2016 as the deadline for Israeli occupation troops to withdraw from all Palestinian territories.

Riyad Mansour said Friday that if the resolution is defeated the Palestinians have other options.

"This is not going to be an open-ended exercise," he said. "The main option is to go with a vote."

Palestinian officials said Thursday they have seven "yes" votes in the 15-member Security Council and are seeking additional support. A minimum of nine votes is needed for approval, and then the measure can be vetoed by one of the five permanent members.

Mansour said the Palestinians will not go back "to the same kind of negotiations that have led us nowhere for more than 20 years."

US Ambassador Samantha Power, asked earlier this month about a deadline for an Israeli pullout, said that the United States strongly believes the only solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is through negotiations between the two parties.

Israeli Ambassador to UN Ron Prosor said when the draft was first circulated that by pursuing the resolution the Palestinians were "bypassing negotiations by taking unilateral action" and "avoiding a real dialogue."

Mansour said the Palestinians are committed to voting on the resolution and "the centerpiece of our resolution is the time frame."

He said one option if the draft resolution is defeated is for the Palestinians to join more treaties and conventions and the International Criminal Court.



