President Mahmoud Abbas, on Tuesday, said that the Palestinian Authority will cut ties with the Israeli government if a draft resolution, presented last week to the United Nations, fails to pass.Speaking to reporters in Algeria, Abbas said that if the UN Security Council resolution fails the leadership will be forced to take the ‘necessary political and legal decisions,’ Algerian Press Service reported.
‘In case of failure, we will no more deal with the Israeli government which will then be obliged to assume its responsibilities as an occupier,’ Abbas was quoted to say by the agency.
Abbas said that Palestine will ‘ultimately regain its independence’ with East Jerusalem as its capital, and will not succumb to ‘Israeli hegemony and oppression.’
Ma’an News Agency further reports that Mr. Abbas met his Algerian counterpart Abdelaziz Bouteflika on Monday, during an official three-day visit.
Jordan presented the draft resolution last week to the UN Security Council on behalf of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).
The resolution sets a 12-month deadline for wrapping up negotiations on a final settlement, with the end of 2017 as a deadline for completing an Israeli withdrawal from occupied Palestinian territories.
A final peace deal would pave the way to the creation of a Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as a shared capital, according to the text of the draft.
PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said, on Tuesday, that the UN Security Council would vote on the draft text before the end of 2014, although a set date has yet to be agreed upon.
Furthermore, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine has urged Palestinian leadership to ‘immediately withdraw’ the draft resolution, arguing that the leadership is presenting a confusing picture of the bid.
See also 12/23/14 Barghouti Criticizes UN Resolution on Palestine
