Middle East Monitor / February 11, 2020
Palestinians have dismissed reports that a delay in bringing a resolution to the UN Security Council rejecting President Donald Trump’s “peace plan” is due to a lack of support among council members.
“Reports that the resolution promoted by the Arab Group and the non-aligned movement has been withdrawn are unfounded,” tweeted Saeb Erekat. The chief negotiator and Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organisation added that “the draft resolution has been distributed.”
Erakat explained the delay by saying: “We are continuing the process of consultation with various countries in a way that doesn’t contradict the principles. We would like to note that the draft resolution is not yet in blueprint, or ready to be voted [upon].”
Senior PA official Hussein Al-Sheikh gave a more robust response to the reports. “Rumours about the draft resolution intended to be presented to the Security Council are part of a fierce war being waged against the Palestinian leadership,” he claimed on Twitter. “We affirm that the consultations are still continuing despite the American war and its pressure on the whole world not to pass the draft resolution.”
Speculation over the reasons for withdrawing the resolution, which was to be voted on today, grew with a number of mainly Israeli sources claiming that nine of the 15 members council had decided to vote against it. The reports cited unnamed Palestinian diplomats.
Instead of voting on the scheduled resolution, the UN Security Council will discuss Trump’s so-called peace plan, which has been met with widespread condemnation.
With the resolution expected to be put forward for a vote despite this setback, both the US and Israel are said to be working feverishly to apply diplomatic pressure on member states, including states that identify with the Palestinian position. A senior official within the Palestinian delegation at the UN is reported by Haaretz as saying that, “There’s a difficult fight going on in the UN’s corridors.”
