Jordan says no plan to push for quick UN vote on Palestine

UNITED NATIONS — Jordan said Monday it had no immediate plans to push for a vote on a UN Security Council resolution to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories despite Palestinian statements that the move was imminent.

Jordan's permanent envoy to the UN, Dina Kawar, said she was awaiting the outcome of meetings that US Secretary of State John Kerry is having with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and European governments on the next step at the United Nations.

Jordan, which represents the Arab League at the council, had circulated the Palestinian text setting a deadline of November 2016 for a full Israeli withdrawal.

"Right now, I have no news," Kawar told reporters. "Secretary Kerry is having meetings in Europe with a number of ministers so we are waiting to see what happens."

Palestinian official Wassel Abu Yussef told AFP on Sunday following a meeting of the leadership that the draft resolution would come up for a vote on Wednesday.

Kawar said she had learned about the Palestinian decision through the media and had not been approached by the Palestinians to press for action.

Palestinian representative to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, said he expected a final version of the draft resolution to be formally submitted to the council, but it remained unclear when a vote would take place.

France has also been leading talks with Britain and Germany on a separate resolution that would set a two-year deadline for ending negotiations on a final settlement.

Netanyahu on Monday rejected UN calls for a resolution, saying Israel does not accept “attempts to dictate to us unilateral moves based on a limited timetable”.

The UN negotiations have put the United States in the difficult position of seeking to revive Middle East peace prospects without angering close ally Israel.

The United States is relying on support from key Arab countries in the fight against Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria.

UN Middle East envoy Robert Serry told the Security Council that a resolution setting out the parameters for an Israeli-Palestinian final settlement could generate “constructive momentum”.

But he cautioned that a resolution would be no “substitute for a genuine peace process that will need to be negotiated between both parties.”