‘Obama mulls veto of French proposal for Palestinian state in UN Security Council’
US President Barack Obama has told associates that he intends to veto the French proposal for a UN Security Council resolution mandating the creation of a Palestinian state and an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank within two years, Channel 10 is reporting on Friday.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said this past March that Paris planned to start discussions with partners in the “coming weeks” on a United Nations Security Council resolution to lay out the parameters for ending the Middle East conflict.
“I hope that the partners who were reluctant will not be reluctant anymore,” said Fabius, referring to the United States, which has traditionally shielded its ally Israel from any action at the United Nations.
The United States has said it would “reassess” its options on US-Israel relations and Middle East diplomacy after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took a stand against Palestinian statehood during his election campaign.
In December, the United States voted against a Palestinian drafted resolution calling for an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and east Jerusalem and the establishment of a Palestinian state by late 2017.