The Palestinian draft resolution, obtained by Reuters, calls for negotiations to be based on territorial lines that existed before Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Middle East war. It also calls for resolving all major differences, known as final-status issues, within 12 months, ending the occupation by the end of 2017, and establishing a third-party presence to help oversee Israels withdrawal and guarantee Palestinian sovereignty. Israel, which pulled troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip in 2005, has said its eastern border would be indefensible if it withdrew completely from the West Bank. An earlier Palestinian draft called for Jerusalem to be the shared capital of Israel and a Palestinian state. The final proposal reverts to a harder line, saying only that East Jerusalem will be Palestines capital and calling for an end to Israeli settlement building and releasing Palestinian prisoners. A U.S. State Department spokesman said the Palestinian draft resolution was not constructive and failed to address Israels security needs. Nine Security Council votes are needed to adopt a resolution, which would then force the United States, Israels closest ally, to decide whether to veto it. Washington would be expected to vote against it, diplomats say...
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 13:18:52 +0000
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