US OFFICIALS DIVIDED ON PALESTINIAN PROPOSAL TO UNSC

Washington, 24 Safar 1436/17 December 2014 (MINA) – Senior American officials have failed to reach an agreement on how the US administration should react regarding the Palestinian Authority (PA)’s project to the UNSC calling for a timeline to be set for Israeli withdrawal from Palestinian territories occupied in 1967, AP reported yesterday.

White House officials said US Secretary of State John Kerry said that the US has to make efforts to delay the Palestinian plan and the French initiative in this regard until after the Israeli elections.

“Escalating violence in the region is another reason to postpone the Palestinian plan,” AP reported Kerry as saying, .

Meanwhile, the National Security Advisor Susan Rice supported the idea of conducting American-French talks on the issue to see if it is possible to reach a moderate solution for the Palestinian proposal.

On the other side, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a three-hour meeting with Kerry in Rome yesterday. He was expected to ask the US to use its veto power against the Palestinian proposal in the UNSC.

However, the meeting ended without a press conference and nothing was known about the issues discussed. Kerry’s aides cancelled a photo session planned to take place before the meeting.

Recently, several American officials have said that the US administration objects to unilateral steps from either side; the PA or Israel. However, the White House has not yet announced how it will react regarding the proposal.

Israel fears that the US might have changed its policy regarding their mutual alliances. (T/P3/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)