Cautious U.S. Reaction and Harsh Israeli Response to Palestinian Resolution Draft

The Palestinian initiative to present a draft resolution for the independence of Palestine and the "end of Israeli occupation" has faced a cautious reaction from the United States and a harsh response from the Israeli government. Jordan, a non-permanent member of the Security Council, submitted the draft resolution for the establishment of a Palestinian state to the Security Council on Wednesday, December 17. This draft emphasizes that Israel must end its "occupation" of "Palestinian territories" within a three-year timeline and that an independent Palestinian state should be established within the borders prior to the Six-Day War of 1967, with Jerusalem as its capital. In response to the submission of this draft, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stated upon his return to Washington after a three-day trip to Europe that the U.S. does not oppose the resolution's approval, but it should not exacerbate the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Kerry had extensive consultations in Europe with the Israeli Prime Minister, a senior Palestinian delegation, and foreign ministers from several European countries, including France and the UK, regarding the Palestinian step. In this context, Riyad al-Maliki, the foreign minister of the Palestinian Authority, stated that the meeting on Tuesday night in London between the Palestinian delegation, accompanied by the Secretary-General of the Arab League, and John Kerry was "not positive." According to al-Maliki, Kerry threatened that the U.S. would use its "veto power" in the Security Council to prevent the approval of the Palestinian resolution. Meanwhile, according to the news website Ynet, affiliated with Yedioth Ahronoth, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that increasing international pressure on Israel has strengthened armed Islamists in the region, and the consequences of this situation will also affect the world. Yuval Steinitz, Israel's Minister of Intelligence, claimed on Thursday, December 18, that the Palestinian Authority has declared "war" on Israel with its global efforts against it, violating the spirit of the Oslo peace agreement, and therefore Israel is considering the dissolution of this authority. Avigdor Lieberman, Israel's Foreign Minister, also described the Palestinian initiative to present a draft resolution for the establishment of a Palestinian state as a "hypocritical trick." According to Israeli media, Lieberman stated that this resolution, even if approved, "will not change anything, as Israel will not accept it." He added: "The establishment of a Palestinian state should be the final result of peace between Palestinians and Israelis, not through unilateral steps by the Palestinians." The Israeli Foreign Minister also stated that he would refrain from meeting with his Swedish counterpart, as Sweden was the first EU country to recently recognize an independent Palestinian state, escalating international pressures on Israel. Following the Swedish government's action, several European parliaments also recognized the state of Palestine, although these resolutions are not binding for their governments. In the latest action regarding this matter, the Luxembourg parliament on Wednesday called on its government to take necessary steps to recognize Palestinian independence. Benjamin Netanyahu's government faced several significant political defeats on the global stage on Wednesday; not only did the Palestinians submit the draft resolution for the establishment of a Palestinian state to the Security Council despite Israeli threats, but the European Parliament also supported recognizing the state of Palestine based on Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, and the General Court of the European Union removed Hamas from the terrorist list on the same day.