PA rejects draft resolution to extend its control of the Gaza Strip

Western diplomatic sources revealed that last September the Palestinian Authority (PA) rejected a US-European draft resolution at the UN Security Council that would have extended its authority to the Gaza Strip and stipulated the immediate start of reconstruction.

Israeli website Walla said that it has reviewed the draft resolution, adding that it was aimed at giving the PA control of the Gaza Strip and ensuring a permanent ceasefire with Israel.

The draft resolution also stipulated that the PA would pledge to ensure its control of all the armed forces and weapons in the Strip in addition to the border crossings.

It also holds Hamas under the aegis of the Palestinian Authority at the civil and military levels.

According to the site, the draft resolution was prepared by the United States, France and Britain in cooperation with Jordan, the non-permanent member at the UN Security Council.

Diplomats asserted to Walla that in the same month Jordan proposed a draft resolution to the Palestinian Authority, seeking its approval of it.

According to Walla, Israel and the Palestinian Authority did not participate in preparing the draft resolution but they reviewed it; and Egypt, which sponsored the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, reviewed its details.

Walla noted that the draft resolution was presented to Israel and the Palestinians as a package that was not subject to amendments. The Palestinians’ rejection, Walla added, spared Israel from having to consider it.

The website quoted a diplomat as saying that the PA rejected the draft resolution because it limited it between two choices: a confrontation with Hamas or exposure to Israeli criticism if a rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip.

Another diplomat assumed that the Palestinians objected to the draft resolution because they were hoping to resume reconciliation efforts after the aggression.