Palestinians to Press Ahead with UN Bid for Statehood and End of Israeli Occupation

Palestinian officials said they are to press ahead with plans to force a United Nation Security Council vote demanding the end of the Israeli occupation in the next few weeks, as part of their bid for statehood.

Palestinian representatives are to submit a draft resolution on the subject to the UN's executive body before November ends, Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) official Wassel Abu Yusef told AFP.

The collapse of peace negotiations with Israel has left the Palestinian Authority no other option but to turn to the UN to achieve the peaceful establishment of a Palestinian State, the official said.

"No other solution has been proposed by the United States," Yusef siad. "The US administration is pushing to resume bilateral negotiations, even while it's clear that these have failed throughout the last few years."

US-brokered peace talks crumbled in April and a bloody conflict in Gaza and renewed tensions in east Jerusalem and the West Bank followed shortly.

Palestinian officials vowed to submit a draft resolution, calling for the removal of Israeli forces from Palestinian territories, with the creation of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 war lines, already in October.

According to details of the text that emerged last month, the proposal is to urge "the achievement of the independence and sovereignty of the State of Palestine and the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people". It also states that Israel must withdraw all troops within November 2016.

The US has been pressuring the Palestinians to not proceed with the resolution, with threats to cut aid, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that any unilateral Palestinian move would "undermine" peace efforts.

However, the Palestinians' move comes at a time where diplomatic relations between the US and Israel are hitting a historic low, with US President Barack Obama reportedly threatening to drop the veto at the Security Council in response to continued rejection of US demands regarding the Middle East peace process.

The threat followed the US's condemnation of Israel's "unfortunate" plan to build 500 further housing units in east Jerusalem.

Earlier this week, the Palestinian chief negotiator, Saeb Erekat, urged Washington to support our bid to the UN Security Council in a meeting with Secretary of State John Kerry.

"Urgent steps from the international community to protect the two-state solution are needed," Erekat said, according to Palestinian news agency Ma'an.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki however confirmed the US formal position was to oppose "unilateral steps by either party that attempts to prejudge the outcome of final status negotiations".