WASHINGTON, December 30 (Sputnik) — The draft UN resolution on Palestinian statehood does not advance a two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, US State Department spokesperson Jeff Rathke said during a press briefing.
"We don't think this resolution is constructive, we think it sets arbitrary deadlines for reaching a peace agreement and for Israel's withdraw from the West Bank. And those are more likely to curtail useful negotiations than to bring to a successful conclusion. We don't believe this resolution advances the goal of a two-state solution" Rathke said on Monday.
Rathke said that the resolution failed to account for "Israel's legitimate security needs."
The initial Palestinian statehood resolution was presented to the UN Security Council on December 17. However, it was amended on Sunday following criticism from a number of Palestinian organizations, including Hamas, which controls the Gaza strip.
The new version of the document sets forth that East Jerusalem should be the capital of the Palestinian state which will be formed within the borders outlined before the Six-Day War in 1967, with Israeli settlements built after the occupation considered as illegal. Additionally, the resolution states that Israel must withdraw from the West Bank and remove its settlements by the end of 2017.
