Foreign Minister Liberman lashed out against Palestinian diplomatic belligerence and the UN Security Council. How will the Obama Administration respond?  

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat (Photo: Miriam Alster/Flash90)

Israel expressed rage and defiance in the face of the submission of a draft resolution by the Palestinian Authority (PA) to the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, calling for a complete withdrawal from Judea and Samaria to the pre-1967 borders by the end of 2017.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman blasted the UN for cooperating with the Palestinians’ unilateral diplomatic war on Israel.

The submission of the draft resolution to the Council is “another act of aggression on their part. PA head Mahmoud Abbas is adopting measures whose sole aim is to attack Israel, with no benefit for the Palestinians,” Liberman stated. “On the contrary, they can only further exacerbate the conflict and worsen the situation, and will not advance any solution, because without Israel’s agreement nothing will change.”

Liberman accused the Council of wasting time with the Palestinian resolution rather than facing urgent threats. It “would do better to deal with the issues truly important to the safety and security of the citizens of the world, such as how to cope with murderous acts of terror like those which took place this week in Australia and Pakistan, or discuss events in Syria and Libya – and not waste time on Palestinian gimmicks,” he declared.

The Palestinian resolution may be voted on within 24 hours of submission. Nine votes from the 15-member council are required to pass it. Even if the resolution is accepted, there is no guarantee that it will be acted upon, as several resolutions that were accepted in the past were never followed through.

Will the U.S. Veto the Resolution?

U.S. Secretary of State Kerry. (Photo: Issam Rimawi/Flash90)

Israel is banking on a U.S. veto that would completely stop the Palestinian proposition. However, it is unclear if Israel will receive such support from the Obama Administration.

Ynet quotes Palestinian sources as saying that Secretary of State John Kerry told the PA that the U.S. will veto a proposed Palestinian resolution “to end the occupation” at the UNSC. However, Kerry told a press conference on Tuesday: “We’ve made no determinations about language, approaches, specific resolutions, any of that.”

He further talked about a “constructive conversation with everybody to find the best way to go forward.”

NRG reports that Kerry had a difficult meeting with Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, in London on Tuesday evening, during which the American diplomat reportedly turned down the Palestinian resolution draft.

Kerry presented Erekat with a number of principles that the U.S. wanted included in any Security Council resolution. The U.S. government reportedly refused to describe Jerusalem as the joint capital of two states, Palestine and Israel. The Americans further refused to set a time for the end of the “occupation” of Judea and Samaria, and insisted on describing Israel as a Jewish state in the resolution. Erekat reportedly refused.

The fact that the Palestinian Authority refuses to acknowledge the existence of a Jewish state after decades of negotiations is noteworthy.

By: United with Israel Staff

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