The UN Security Council is expected to vote later Friday on demanding Israel halt settlements after four countries agreed to present a draft resolution that was withdrawn by Egypt, diplomats said. New Zealand, Malaysia, Senegal and Venezuela stepped in after Egypt, under pressure from US President-elect Donald Trump, decided not to move forward with its push for a vote at the council, diplomats said.
"Most likely, we will have a vote soon," French Ambassador Francois Delattre told reporters. Egypt on Thursday requested that the vote be postponed a day after it submitted the draft text to the council, triggering immediate calls from Israel for a US veto to block the measure. Israel asked Trump to intervene after learning that Washington, in a reversal of its policy under President Barack Obama, would not veto the resolution, an Israeli official said.
"The key goal that we have here is to preserve and reaffirm the two state-solution," said Delattre. "The text that we have does not exclusively focus on settlements. It also condemns the violence and terrorism. It also calls to prevent all incitement from the Palestinian side so this is a balanced text."
Diplomats said the same draft resolution would be submitted to a vote, at the request of the four countries. The draft resolution demands that "Israel immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem."
It states that Israeli settlements have "no legal validity" and are "dangerously imperiling the viability of the two-state solution" that would see an independent Palestine co-exist alongside Israel. Israeli settlements are seen as a major stumbling block to peace efforts, as they are built on land the Palestinians see as part of their future state. The United Nations maintains that settlements are illegal, but UN officials have reported a surge in construction over the past months.
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