OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (PIC)–Israeli press reports revealed that New Zealand has drafted a UN resolution that reportedly calls for a freeze on Israeli settlement building in the West Bank and for Palestinians to abandon their bid to take legal action against Israel at the International Criminal Court. This came within latest effort to revive direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
New Zealand is preparing a UN Security Council resolution calling on Israel to freeze construction and home demolitions in the West Bank as well as urging the Palestinians to desist from taking steps against Israel at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague as part of a series of confidence-building steps ahead of a hoped-for resumption of peace talks Haaretz reported on Wednesday.
New Zealand a non-permanent Security Council member for the last year has planned to disseminate the draft resolution for some time but relented following a request by the United States. In view of the escalation of tension around the Temple Mount it has decided to renew its motion handing it out last Friday to the other 14 Security Council members. Haaretz has obtained a copy.
The newspaper quoted an Israeli official as saying that New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs Murry McCully offered the initiative to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to Tel Aviv two months ago and Netanyahu did not refuse the initiative. A few days ago New Zealand officially sent the initiative to Israel and the latter did not refuse it as well.
The draft called on both sides “to take the necessary measures to rebuild confidence and prepare for the resumption of negotiations.” This includes halting settlement expansion demolition of Palestinian homes and other provocative actions especially those threatening the Aqsa Mosque as well as to stop plans to prosecute Israel at the ICC.
