RAMALLAH – The Palestinians plan to make another attempt to seek United Nations condemnation of Israeli settlement, after the US torpedoed a motion at the Security Council, a senior official said on Saturday. Yasser Abed Rabbo, general secretary of the Palestine Liberation Organisation said that Palestinian leaders had decided to take a fresh bid before the world body’s General Asembly, which convenes in New York in September.
“Our decision now is to go to the General Assembly of the United Nations to pass a UN resolution against the settlements and condemn them and to emphasise its lack of legitimacy,” he told AFP. “And then we will put forward a draft to condemn the settlements to the UN Security Council.”
A widely-supported Palestinian drive to win the council’s condemnation of Israeli settlement was brought down in flames by a US veto on Friday after Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas ignored sweeteners and reported strong-arm tactics from the White House and refused to have the motion withdrawn.