Moscow to Support Resolution on Palestinian Statehood

Moscow has vowed to support a United Nations Security Council draft resolution on Palestinian statehood, Interfax reported Sunday.

According to the Moscow Times, deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said such a resolution “could serve as a starting point for the renewal of negotiations between Palestine and Israel. Considering that, Russia is prepared to support this resolution, when and if it will be put to a vote,” Interfax reported.

 Noting that “the mention of the Palestinian project on the resolution was immediately met with hostility by Israel, as well as the U.S.,” Bogdanov went on to warn of the possibility that “the Americans would use their veto power if the resolution comes to a vote,” Interfax reported.

“The Palestinians have repeatedly said that if a UN resolution is blocked, they will appeal on behalf of Palestine to various international structures, including the International Criminal Court,” Bogdanov said in comments carried by Interfax.

Bogdanov’s comments come five days after five people were killed in a grisly attack on a Jerusalem synagogue. The attack was carried out by two Palestinian men who were also killed during the incident.

Palestine’s draft resolution calls for an end to what it describes as the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and East Jerusalem by November 2016. It is unclear when the resolution is expected to be submitted.

In 2012, the UN General Assembly made Palestine a “non-member observer state” and by September 2013 the Palestinian State had been recognized by 134 UN members, including Russia. The majority of Western countries do not recognize Palestine as an independent nation.

M. Wassouf