Arab League To Bring Palestinian Statehood Resolution To UN Security Council

Foreign ministers of the Arab League agreed Saturday to formally submit a draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council called for the establishment of Palestine as a state within a specific time frame, Reuters reported. The league will begin searching for international backing of the resolution, it said in a statement cited by the news agency.

Jordan, a member of both the Arab League and the U.N. Security Council, should present the draft resolution to the council within days, according to Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby.

The prospect of recognizing Palestinian statehood has gained steam in a number of countries outside the Middle East recently. Spain, Ireland and France all have called for symbolic votes on the measure.

France announced Friday it would recognize Palestine as a state should an international effort to overcome the deadlock between Israel and Palestine fail, Reuters reported. And French lawmakers will conduct Dec. 2 a symbolic vote on whether their government should recognize Palestine.

Israel has long opposed the measure as has the U.S., a longtime Israeli ally. At the opening of the Arab League session in Cairo, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Israel had left Palestinians with no option but to seek recognition from the international community, Reuters reported.

“The current situation in the Palestinian territories cannot continue,” Abbas said. “There is no longer a partner for us in Israel, and there is nothing for us but to internationalize the issue.”