The Security Council was to meet this afternoon to consider a draft resolution co-sponsored by Pakistan and Senegal which would “deplore” Israel’s failure to comply with the General Assembly’s two resolutions regarding Jerusalem adopted last July and would “urgently” call upon Israel “to rescind all measures already taken and to desist forthwith from taking any action which would alter the status of Jerusalem.” Unofficially, members of the Afro-Asian and Latin American groups which are reportedly backing this draft said they have lined up 12 votes in the Security Council in favor of the draft document. There are 15 members on the Security Council.
The draft resolution would note that since the Assembly’s adoption of the July 4 and July 14 resolution on Jerusalem, “Israel has taken further measures and actions in contravention of these resolutions.” It would declare that “the legislative and administrative measures and actions, including expropriation of land taken by Israel, are invalid and cannot affect the legal status of Jerusalem.” It would request Secretary-General U Thant “to report to the Security Council on the measures taken by Israel in the implementation of the present resolution.”
The draft does not mention the possibility of sanctions against Israel if Israel should refuse to abide by the new resolution. Ten days ago when the Council recessed this month’s debate on the status of Jerusalem, Algeria had envisaged a much tougher anti-Israel resolution which would have threatened sharp sanctions, including military action against Israel.
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