Leaked document claims to show US and PA collaborated on UN Security Council resolution
‘We have ironclad information Obama administration helped craft and push hard for passage’
Prior to the UN Security Council vote on a resolution critical of settlements, US Secretary of State John Kerry and a Palestinian delegation met in early December in Washington to discuss the draft, agreeing to cooperate, according to transcripts released by the Egyptian daily Al-Youm Al-Saba’a.
Kerry, along with US National Security Adviser Susan Rice, met with PLO Executive Committee Secretary-General Saeb Erekat and Palestinian Authority Intelligence Chief Majed Faraj.
The reported transcripts reflect statements by numerous Israeli officials claiming that the resolution was orchestrated by the Obama administration. The source of the leaked transcripts was not named.
“On the topic of the Security Council and a resolution critical of settlements, Kerry and Rice affirmed that they are ready to cooperate on a balanced resolution, and that their UN ambassador is authorized to speak with [Palestinian] Ambassador [Riyad] Mansour in New York,” the transcripts state.
The United States on Friday broke with a longstanding approach of diplomatically shielding Israel and abstained on the United Nations Security Council resolution that passed with 14 countries in favor and none against.
“We have ironclad information that emanates from sources in the Arab world and that shows the Obama administration helped craft this resolution and pushed hard for its eventual passage,” said David Keyes, a spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The US State Department has denied claims that the US was involved in promoting the resolution, but confirmed that a meeting between the Kerry, Rice, and the Palestinian delegation took place.
Meanwhile, Erekat has denied the claims written in the documents.
Erekat said that some people who have close relationships with Avigdor Liberman and the Austrian financier Martin Schlaff fabricated the document to back up remarks by the Israeli government that indicate the resolution was a conspiracy between the Obama administration and the Palestinian side, the official PA news site Wafa reported.
The leaked document also said that Kerry expressed his preparedness to issue a set of parameters for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“Kerry proposed the possibility of presenting ideas for a final resolution on the condition that if they are announced, we support them,” the transcript added.
Kerry made remarks regarding the Middle East peace process later on Wednesday. He discussed steps the Obama administration feels are needed to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Tuesday.
The speech, less than a month before US President Barack Obama leaves office, is expected to be the administration’s last word on the decades-old dispute that Kerry had hoped to resolve during his four years as America’s top diplomat.
It could also be seen in Israel as another parting shot at Netanyahu, who has had an especially acrimonious relationship with Obama since they both took office in 2009.
Adam Rasgon contributed to this report.