UNSC to Vote Palestinian Draft Resolution by Wednesday: Envoy

UNITED NATIONS, December 30 (Sputnik) — The Palestinian draft resolution calling for Israel to end its occupation of the West Bank by 2017, will be voted by the United Nations Security Council by Wednesday morning, Permanent Observer of Palestine to the United Nations said Tuesday.

“We are happy that the Arab Group on the basis of previous ministerial meetings has considered in a positive and responsible way the request of the Palestinian leadership to put the draft resolution to a vote, possibly [Tuesday] afternoon, if not [Wednesday] morning, this is related to the readiness of the Secretariat of the Security Council,” Riyad Mansour said at the UN headquarter’s in New York.

Mansour added that any delays to the Palestinian resolution’s vote would not be due to more time needed on the part of the Arab countries, as the issues has been deliberated for over three months.

Meanwhile, Jordan’s UN ambassador Dina Kawar, who is also the Arab Group representative in the Security Council, said the decision “comes in respect to the Arab League decision. We are asking the Secretariat if they can accommodate us this afternoon. It's a practical question.”

According to the current Security Council President, Chad’s UN envoy Mahamat Zene Cherif, a meeting on the Palestinian question will convene on Tuesday at 5 p.m. New York time (22:00 GMT)

Earlier on Tuesday, UK Permanent Representative Mark Lyall Grant declared that the United Kingdom would not support the resolution, alongside the United States, citing “difficulties with the text” in regards to the time scales and refugees.

Palestinians are seeking the creation of an independent state on the territories of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, partially occupied by Israel and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, and want Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian land it took after the 1967 war.