EU fails to agree on backing Palestinian draft resolutions at UN — Jerusalem Post

The Palestinian delegation to the UN in New York is preparing draft resolutions with European representatives on aid to Palestinians and Israel’s policy in the West Bank. At the same time, all 27 European Union countries, after a week of internal consultations, failed to reach a consensus on supporting any of these documents, the Jerusalem Post reports, citing Ynet.

What the drafts propose

According to the publication, the drafts provide for UN commitments to protect the property and sources of income of Palestinians in the West Bank, as well as condemnation of Israeli settlements in this territory. They also plan to include an official condemnation of Israel’s intentions to advance construction in the E1 area.

Among other proposals is a demand that the UN formally declare its non-recognition of Israel’s presence in the West Bank, as well as the introduction of a policy of differentiation between this territory and the rest of Israel. Negotiations over the wording between the Palestinian delegation and EU states were still ongoing.

Israel’s position

After the EU failed to adopt a common position, the Palestinian delegation may put the documents to a vote without broad European support, according to Ynet. Israel’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Danny Danon, said that the Palestinian side is trying to use the current political situation to challenge Israel at the UN platform.

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According to Danon, the Israeli delegation is working with allies to counter what he called a diplomatic attack. As Ynet reports, the Israeli mission is also working to soften the wording of the drafts and reduce the number of states that could support them.

Context of the discussion

The diplomatic activity is taking place amid increased international attention to settlement activity and settler violence in the West Bank. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recorded at least 160 attacks on Palestinians during the first two weeks of the olive harvest in October.

A separate UN commission reported that nearly 500 Palestinians have been killed in the West Bank each year since 2022. According to its data, these are the highest figures since the UN began collecting such data in 2005.