Erekat: Palestinian leadership to meet on ICC membership push after failed UN bid
PLO envoys says Palestinian leadership set to convene emergency meeting on next steps after UNSC rejected draft statehood resolution.
By JPOST.COM STAFF, KHALED ABU TOAMEHPalestinian President Mahmoud Abbas heads attends a joint meeting of the Palestinian Liberation Organization.(photo credit: REUTERS)
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat vowed on Wednesday that the Palestinians would return to the United Nations Security Council after the body rejected a draft resolution calling for an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines within two years.Erekat stated that meanwhile, the Palestinian leadership would meet to advance other plans for Palestinian statehood recognition in international bodies, including setting a date to seek official membership at the International Criminal Court.The Palestinian Authority has said that it would seek to accuse Israel of war crimes before the ICC if it becomes a member.Palestinian media cited Erekat as condemning the rejection of the UN resolution as "a blow to international law."Following the failure to pass the motion in the UNSC, the Palestinian leadership was set to convene an emergency meeting Wednesday evening to discus future steps toward statehood recognition, Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported.While the Palestinian draft failed to received the minimum nine votes in favor, Washington's vote against it was enough to defeat it. The United States is one of the five veto-wielding permanent members.There were eight votes in favor, including France, Russia and China, two against and five abstentions, among them Britain. Australia joined the United States in voting against the measure.The European and African camps were split in the vote. France and Luxembourg voted in favor of the resolution while Britain and Lithuania abstained. Among the Africans, Chad voted yes while Rwanda and Nigeria abstained.Erekat also lashed out at Rwanda and Nigeria for abstaining from the vote.
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