Lieberman
Photo: Emil Salman
Lieberman dismisses Palestinian UN draft as a 'gimmick'
Motion submitted by Jordan to set deadline for Israeli withdrawal 'will not hasten an agreement because without Israel's consent, nothing will change,' foreign minister says.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Thursday described as a gimmick a Palestinian-proposed UN Security Council draft resolution that calls for a peace deal within a year and an end to Israeli presence in territories Palestinians want for their future state by the end of 2017.
"Certainly this will not hasten an agreement because without Israel's consent, nothing will change," Lieberman said in a statement.
The draft resolution was formally submitted by Jordan to the 15-member council on Wednesday, which means it could be put to a vote as soon as 24 hours later, but it does not guarantee it will happen. Some drafts have never been voted on.
Lieberman (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
Lieberman said the unilateral move at the United Nations, which followed the collapse in April of US-brokered talks on Palestinian statehood, would only deepen the decades-old conflict.
"It would be better if the Security Council dealt with matters truly important to the citizens of the world, such as the murderous attacks this week in Australia and Pakistan, or discuss events in Syria and Libya, and not waste time on the Palestinian's gimmicks," he said.
Palestinians seek a state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem, areas Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War. Israel pulled out of Gaza in 2005 but continues to blockade the enclave, which is controlled by its Hamas Islamist enemy.
Nine votes are needed to adopt a resolution, which would then force the United States, Israel's closest ally, to decide whether to veto it. US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Tuesday the United States had made "no determinations about language, approaches, specific resolutions, any of that".
France, Britain and Germany are also drafting a resolution, which French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said would propose concluding peace talks in two years. The submitted Palestinian draft appears to reflect some European ideas.
While Lieberman's comments were dismissive of the resolution, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has voiced alarm over international pressure on Israel to withdraw from these territories, saying Islamist militants would then move in.
