(Ha'aretz) Barak Ravid - The Palestinian Authority distributed a draft resolution this week condemning construction in the settlements to a number of members of the UN Security Council, according to Western diplomats and senior Palestinian officials. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would like to bring the resolution to a vote in two weeks. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the proposal Thursday, saying that it would make peace less, not more likely. "The Palestinians teach their children every day that the settlements are Tel Aviv, Haifa and Acre," said Netanyahu. "Abbas' actions will push peace talks further away. The only way to advance peace is through direct talks and Abbas is hiding from that." The last time the Security Council voted on a resolution condemning the settlements was in 2011. The Palestinians garnered the support of 14 out of 15 Security Council members, but the U.S. opposed the resolution and after failing to get the Palestinians to withdraw it, cast a veto, the only time in the past seven years that President Obama used his veto.
2016-04-08 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive