Palestinian UN statehood resolution to be amended: sources
Security Council to vote on Palestinian statehood bid before end of year, FM
says
Kifah Ziboun Asharq Al-Awsat Tuesday, 23 Dec, 2014
http://www.aawsat.net/2014/12/article55339760

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.