Updated 12:20 p.m. Moscow Time
MOSCOW, October 13 (RIA Novosti) – Russia will likely support a draft UN Security Council resolution regarding the establishment of a Palestinian state, Russian UN envoy Vitaly Churkin said Monday.
"If it is put to the vote, we will support it," he said, adding that "such a resolution will most likely be vetoed by the United States."
Churkin noted that the draft resolution could be voted on as soon as October 21, noting that the Palestinian side has not yet confirmed the final date.
Palestinians seek the creation of an independent state on the territories of the West Bank in East Jerusalem, partially occupied by Israel, as well as on the Gaza Strip territory controlled by Hamas militants. Palestine designated Jerusalem as its capital and calls on Israel to withdraw from the Palestinian land it has occupied since the 1967 war.
In 2012, the United Nations General Assembly upgraded Palestine from an "observer entity" to a "non-member observer state" and affirmed the Palestinian people's right to self-determination.
By September 2013, the State of Palestine has been recognized by 134 UN member states, including Russia. However, most European Union countries and the United States have not given their official recognition. Some EU members such as Hungary, Poland and Slovakia recognized the State of Palestine before joining the bloc.
