RAMALLAH, December 20, 2017 (WAFA) – Two official Palestinian delegations are in Russia and China to discuss the future of the peace process, PLO Executive Committee member Saleh Rafat said on Wednesday.
He told the official Voice of Palestine radio that the visit by the two Palestinian delegations is part of efforts to garner support for the Palestinian position that strongly opposes the US decision recognizing Jerusalem as capital of Israel.
He said Moscow had confirmed its support for the Palestinian position and would stand by Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly when it meets on Thursday with a goal to denounce the US decision.
He added that Russia is ready to work with all international partners to settle the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, stressing that what is needed is an international conference involving China, the Russian Federation, the European Union and the Arab countries to establish an international group that will be active in the negotiations and not just monitor them to implement international resolutions calling for establishing a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Rafat called on the international community to impose sanctions on Israel to compel it to implement UN Security Council resolutions on the Arab-Israeli conflict.
He said that the vote at the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday to going to be overwhelmingly in favor of the resolution in spite of US threats against countries that will vote in favor of the Jerusalem resolution.
Meanwhile, Palestine’s ambassador to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Maher al-Karaki, said he expects a majority vote in favor of the draft resolution calling for the annulment of the American declaration on Jerusalem that will be discussed in the UN General Assembly on Thursday under the term “United for Peace.”
He told Voice of Palestine radio on Wednesday that this vote will demonstrate the international community‘s determination to see international law implemented as well as send a clear signal to the world that that no country or party can take a unilateral decision on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict similar to the American one.
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