New changes in UN Security Council may serve Palestinian cause: official

The new changes in the United Nations Security Council may serve the Palestinian cause, a senior official in Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) said on Saturday.

"The Palestinian leadership is looking forward to exploiting the new changes in the structure of the Security Council to apply with several bids related to the Palestinian cause," Ahmed Majdalani told Xinhua.

He clarified that after five countries became new members in the Security Council, "this might be supportive in terms of earning more than nine votes backing the Palestinian bids."

Majdalani said that within the coming stage, the Palestinians are intending to apply a series of bids to the Security Council related to the issues of settlements, Jerusalem and protecting holy sites as well as asking for full recognition of a Palestinian state and setting up a time schedule for ending the Israeli occupation.

Five new countries, including Egypt, Senegal, Japan, Ukraine and Uruguay, have recently joined the Security Council as non-permanent Security Council members for two years.

The five countries replaced Jordan, Lithuania, Chad, Nigeria and Chili. The Security Council have five permanent members, which are the U.S., Russia, Britain, France and China. The five countries have the veto right.

Ties between Israel and the Palestinians have been deteriorating as an ongoing flaring wave of violent confrontations broke out in early October. Endit