Israel Matzav

Report: Obama told Abu Bluff US will veto Security Council resolution

According to Khaled Abu Toameh, who has good sources among the 'Palestinians,' President Obama told 'moderate' 'Palestinian' President Mahmoud Abbas Abu Mazen on Thursday night that the United States will veto a 'Palestinian' sponsored Security Council resolution condemning Israel when and if it comes to a vote on Friday night. As a result, there is an emergency meeting of the Fatah and PLO executives on Friday.

Sources in Ramallah said that the phone conversation dealt with the PA’s plan to seek a United Nations Security Council resolution condemning construction in the settlements. They said that Abbas rejected Washington’s demand not to go to the Security Council.

The sources said that Obama made it clear to Abbas that the US would veto such a resolution so as not to jeopardize efforts to resume peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

Nabil Sha’ath, member of the PA negotiating delegation, said on Thursday that the PA leadership was determined to pursue its efforts to obtain a resolution condemning the construction in the settlements despite heavy pressure from the US.

Sha’ath said that the US Administration has offered the PA to abandon its plan to seek a resolution on the settlements in return for a statement that would be issued by the Security Council and that would condemn the construction without holding a vote.

He said that the PA would pursue its efforts to seek condemnation of Israel even after the US vetoes the resolution at the Security Council. The PA would go to the Quartet and other international forums, including the international court in The Hague, to force Israel to stop settlement construction in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, he said.

“The US will lose a lot if it uses the veto to kill the resolution that is supposed to be presented to the Security Council on Friday,” Sha’ath cautioned. “The US is currently facing a test to prove its fairness and its objective role as the sponsor of the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. We hope that the US would refrain from using the veto.”

I'm sure Obama is quaking in his boots, but I doubt anyone else is.

Heh.

Labels: Abu Mazen, Barack Obama, Jerusalem construction, Judea and Samaria construction, Nabil Sha'ath, UN Security Council

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:29 PM