EAST JERUSALEM, DEC 18 (DNA) – The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations says the Palestinian leadership may turn to the UN General Assembly in case Washington vetoes a draft resolution on the status of Jerusalem al-Quds.

“If the resolution is vetoed, the Palestinian delegation can send a letter to the UN Secretary General and ask him to resume the emergency session,” Riyad Mansour told on Monday.

He added that Palestinian and Egyptian diplomats have worked closely with Security Council members while drafting the resolution to ensure that it gets overwhelming support.

Manour stated that Palestinian leaders are confident of overwhelming support from 14 of the council’s 15 members.

“The Europeans in particular asked us to avoid terms like ‘denounce’ and ‘condemn,’ and not to mention the US by name,” he pointed out.

Mansour noted, “We acceded to their request but kept the active clauses rejecting all changes to Jerusalem al-Quds and the reaffirmation of previous decisions.”

The draft UN resolution “affirms that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem al-Quds have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council.”

It follows US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s capital.

Meanwhile, Israel’s permanent representative to the UN, Danny Danon, has condemned the Egyptian-drafted resolution.

“No vote or debate will change the clear reality that Jerusalem always has been and always will be the capital of Israel. Together with our allies, we will continue to fight, once again, for historical truth,” he said.=DNA

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