Washington, Occupied Jerusalem: The United States will not support the current resolution put forward by the Palestinians setting the terms of a peace deal with the Israelis, a US official said on Thursday.
Washington has seen the text of a draft resolution circulating in the UN Security Council and “it is not something that we would support,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.
“We think others feel the same and we are calling for further consultations. The Palestinians understand that.”
She pointed to a statement from Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas that he would support further consultations, adding US Secretary of State John Kerry had been holding discussions with different parties on Thursday.
She agreed the problem was the content of a Jordanian text that would set a 12-month timeline for wrapping up peace negotiations and a late 2017 deadline for an Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian lands.
“We wouldn’t support any action that would prejudge the outcome of the negotiations or would set a specific deadline for withdrawal of security forces,” Psaki said, adding that the parties were aware of US concerns. Psaki stressed that “obviously the content is important.”
“We’ve been clear about what our principles are, and the fact that we could support certain forms of resolution, but those discussions are private,” Psaki added.
Abbas said on Thursday that he supports further negotiations on the proposed resolution. He said that “we will continue in our consultations with the brothers and friends through deliberations, which will take place in the United Nations.”
Earlier, Palestinian UN Ambassador Riyad Mansour said the resolution does not close the door on further negotiations on the issue, including with the United States. As a permanent council member, the US routinely vetoes measures targeting the Israeli regime.
Jordan’s UN Ambassador Dina Kawar, the Arab representative on the Security Council, said the draft would take time to complete, but Riyadh Al Maliki, the Palestinian foreign minister, said they were hoping consultations would not drag on long.
