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Palestinian UN statehood resolution to be amended: sources | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 26, 2014. (EPA/Justin Lane)


Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 26, 2014. (EPA/Justin Lane)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 26, 2014. (EPA/Justin Lane)

Ramallah, Asharq Al-Awsat—The Palestinian leadership has agreed to make amendments to the statehood resolution it submitted to the UN Security Council on Wednesday before a vote by the Council due by the end of the year.

In comments to Asharq Al-Awsat, Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee member Wasel Abu Yousef said that the amendments “take into account reservations put forward by Palestinian factions towards the project,” as claims emerged that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas failed to present the draft resolution to PLO leaders before submitting it to the UN.

Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat has said that the UN Security Council will vote on an amended version of the draft resolution before the end of the year.

Speaking to Russian media on Tuesday, Erekat said that amendments to the draft resolution—which was submitted “in blue” to the UN Security Council on Wednesday—have already been made and that a vote on it would take place “very soon.”

Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Maliki, meanwhile, confirmed that “basic and significant amendments” will be made to the draft resolution, according to the Palestinian state Ma’an news agency.

Submitting a draft resolution “in blue” means that the text of the resolution is printed in blue ink and officially distributed to the Security Council members and could be put to a vote as soon as 24 hours later. However, some drafts formally submitted in this manner have never been voted on and the Palestinians have since said that they are ready to negotiate on the text of the draft resolution.

The amendments revolve around articles relating to East Jerusalem as capital of the future state of Palestine, Israeli settlement building, and Palestinian refugees’ right of return, Abu Yousef told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The new draft resolution will stipulate East Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state, specifying particularly that this will be based on 1967 borders. Any Israeli settlements built after this date will be considered illegal. Amendments will also call for a complete halt of Israeli settlement building, with renewed emphasis being placed on Palestinian refugees’ right of return, Abu Yousef said.

The current draft of the resolution says that Jerusalem will be the capital of both states, but does not specify East Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Palestine.

“International legitimacy is our ceiling on this issue, and we cannot drop below this ceiling,” Abu Yousef told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti criticized the text of the draft resolution, calling on the Palestinian leadership to conduct an immediate and comprehensive revision of the resolution’s wording.

Barghouti particularly criticized Palestinian land swaps with Israel, saying that Tel Aviv could seek to use this to legalize settlements.

However, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine—part of the PLO—on Tuesday urged the Palestinian leadership to “immediately withdraw” the draft resolution, arguing that the lack of consensus over the wording of the resolution’s text was presenting a confusing picture to the international community.

A statement issued by the group on Tuesday said: “They [the Palestinian leadership] have been presenting it before the political bazaar at international level for bids, then they claim they are making amendments as if it has been submitted by others.”

“Both the original version and the amended version, including the French and British remarks, are beyond repair and reform, and should be withdrawn immediately without delay,” the statement added.