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PNA says under pressure to drop UN statehood bill

Xinhua, January 25, 2015 Adjust font size:

Palestinian Foreign Minister Ryad al-Malki said Sunday that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) is coming under American and European pressure to back down on a statehood bill at the United Nations.

"We are determined to approaching the UN Security Council, but we still have not set a date for this move," al-Malki told official Voice of Palestine Radio.

The minister noted that the United States, some European countries, and even a number of Arab states, are practicing pressure on the PNA for fear the U.S. may veto a Palestinian draft resolution that call for ending the Israeli occupation of lands occupied in 1967.

Al-Malki added that his ministry has a plan to visit five countries that recently became members of the UN Security Council in order to win their support in case the draft resolution is resubmitted again.

In December last year, the Palestinians failed to gain the support of the minimum nine state members at the UN to pass an Arab-backed draft resolution that called for ending the Israeli occupation by 2017.

The Palestinians fear that the U.S. may veto the bill even if they gain the in-favor vote of nine state members of the UN council.

Meanwhile, al-Malki urged to activate a 100 million U.S. dollars monthly financial safety network pledged by Arab countries, mainly after Israel withheld Palestinian tax revenues it collected on behalf of the PNA.

This month, al-Malki said the PNA has found a solution to pay 60 percent of the civil servants' salaries by borrowing 200 million Israeli Shekels (a dollar equals 3.85 Shekels) in loans from local banks.

"But we cannot borrow again in the upcoming months since banks will not be able to do," he added.

Israel decided to keep the tax revenues after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas signed applications earlier this month to join 20 international organizations, including the International Criminal Court.

The tax revenue dues represent one third of the Palestinian budget, or one billion U.S. dollars every year.

Abbas' move came after the Palestinian draft resolution was turned down at the UN. Endit