Palestinians air reservations on French peace resolution

Palestinians are uneasy about a draft resolution proposed by France to be presented to the UN Security Council on the peace process between Palestinians and Israelis, Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Malki revealed.

Al-Maliki told Palestinian radio that a meeting was held between the Palestinian and French delegations at the United Nations during which the Palestinian delegation presented their remarks on a proposed French-European draft resolution.

“We will not accept the French proposal with its current wording because it adopts the Israeli narrative which calls to recognise Israel as a land for the Jewish people. We told them that we will accept the proposal if our amendments are accepted,” he explained.

He stressed: “In that the case the Palestinian amendments were not taken on board, Palestinians will have the choice to go to the UN Security Council with a Palestinian-Arab draft resolution.”

“In the event that France accepts our amendments, we will act together in this context, but if it refused them, we will determine our future strategy, including the immediate accession to international treaties and organisations.”

No details were given on the French draft resolution, but Al-Maliki said: “No one will force us to accept the French project.”

“We presented our conditions to the French side and they will study it with all their partners,” he said, adding, “If France accepts them; it means the project has been modified radically in favour of the Palestinian side, but if they refused them, we will refuse the proposal and continue with our project.”

Al-Maliki said: “We told them that we cannot wait forever and we will receive their response within a few days and then we will move immediately to the Security Council and before the end of this month there will be a vote in the Security Council.”