Date for UN Security Council Vote on Palestinian State Resolution Not Set

According to Palestinian ambassador to Russia Fayed Mustafa, a specific date has not yet been set for the UN Security Council vote on the Palestinian statehood draft resolution.

MOSCOW, December 22 (Sputnik) – The date for the UN Security Council vote on the Palestinian statehood draft resolution has not been set yet, Palestinian ambassador to Russia Fayed Mustafa told RIA Novosti Monday.

"There is no specific date for the voting yet," he said, noting that the negotiations are underway.

The draft resolution on the creation of the Palestinian state was submitted to the UN Security Council on December 17. The resolution sets a deadline of 12 months since the document is approved for the removal of the Israeli forces from Palestinian territories.

Earlier on Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the aspirations of Palestinians to gain international recognition and obtain statehood are supported by Russia. Russia and China are the only members of the UN Security Council, who have given full diplomatic state recognition to the Palestinians.

The State of Palestine was proclaimed by the Palestine National Council on November 15, 1988. It has laid claims to the territories occupied by Israel in the course of the Six-Day War in 1967, including the West Bank with East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

In November, 2012, the Palestinian Authority obtained non-member observer nation status at the United Nations.

Currently 135 countries recognize the Palestinian Authority as a sovereign state.