Despite an American veto threat, the Palestine Liberation Organization and its supporters went ahead today with their request for a Security Council meeting on Palestinian rights. The Council is scheduled to meet Monday.
According to diplomatic sources, the American veto was almost certain in view of the draft resolution circulated here among the 15-member Council, calling for the affirmation of the Palestinian people’s right to “self-determination, including the right to establish an independent state in Palestine.”
The draft resolution, which was circulated in three slightly differing versions, also calls for Israeli withdrawal from “all the Arab territories occupied since June 1967,” and deplores the Israeli occupation of these territories, “including Jerusalem. The Security Council will meet Monday morning to accommodate an Israeli request not to hold the meeting Monday evening, which is the first night of Passover.
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Yehudo Blum, met today with Ambassador William van den Heuvel of the United States to discuss the upcoming Security Council debate. United States Ambassador Donald McHenry is presently out of town.
PLO SEEN AS TESTING THE WEST
Blum told Israeli reporters today, in a briefing at the Israeli UN Mission here, upon his arrival from Israel this morning, that it seems that the PLO insisted on the meeting at this point because of the scheduled meetings between President Carter and President Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Premier Menachem Begin of Israel.
“They would do whatever they can to sabotage these talks out of fear that the autonomy talks will succeed, “Blum said. The Israeli envoy also suggested that the PLO, by insisting on holding the debate although they cannot expect that its extreme resolution will be adopted, is trying to “embarrass” and “put the U.S. on the spot.” They also intend to test the attitude of the West Europeans, who recently indicated a shift in policy toward supporting a Palestinian state.
The vote on the pro-Palestinian draft resolution is likely to take place at the end of next weekly after at least for sessions of the Council, Blum said.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
