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Arab League seeks new UN resolution on Palestine

By Agencies - Jan 15,2015 - Last updated at Jan 15,2015

AMMAN/CAIRO — Jordan has not and will not hesitate to extend all forms of support for the Palestinians, especially in their efforts to restore their legitimate rights, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said on Thursday.

In his address at the extraordinary ministerial meeting of the Arab League, Judeh asserted the Palestinians’ right to set up their own independent and sovereign state on their national soil, within the pre-1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the two-state solution. 

He noted that the whole world believes this is the sole solution to end the Palestinian-Israeli struggle and accordingly it is also the sole means to end the broader Arab-Israeli conflict, in accordance with related-international resolution and the Arab Peace Initiative. 

Stressing that the Kingdom will continue to extend advice to the Palestinians, Judeh reiterated that it is high time for coordinated efforts to resume serious and well-defined peace negotiations that lead to translating the two-state solution within a clear and reasonable time frame. 

At the meeting, the Arab League said it will seek to shore up international support for another attempt to obtain a UN resolution on ending Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands.

The decision at the gathering of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo came after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas asked them for another chance following the UN Security Council’s rejection of his last bid in December.

Those at the meeting gave several Arab countries the task of undertaking “the necessary communications and consultations to submit a new Arab proposal to the Security Council”, a statement said.

After last month’s failed UN bid, the Palestinians were granted a request to join the International Criminal Court, in a move paving the way for them to pursue Israeli leaders for alleged war crimes.

In response, Israel froze the transfer of 106 million euros (about $126 million) in taxes collected on behalf of the Palestinians, and threatened legal countermeasures against the Palestinian leadership.

An Arab-backed resolution on ending the Israeli occupation by the end of 2017 was rejected at the Security Council on December 30, with the United States and non-permanent member Australia voting against it.

China, France and Russia were among eight countries that backed the resolution, just one vote short of the nine required for adoption.

Five countries seen as having a more pro-Palestinian stance began their term at the Security Council this month — Angola, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain and Venezuela.

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