Palestinians are seeking to secure a resolution by the United Nations Security Council to send international observers to the Occupied Territories, said reports.
The UN Security Council has decided hold a public meeting on Monday to discuss the crisis in the Middle East, the council president, Alfonso Valdivieso of Colombia, said Thursday.
"It will be a public meeting, starting at 10:00 am (1400 GMT)," he was quoted by AFP as telling reporters after holding consultations behind closed doors with ambassadors from the 15 council members.
"No decision has been made as yet on the outcome, whether there will be a presidential statement or a resolution," he added.
Council resolutions, which are always adopted by a vote, are legally binding on all UN member states; presidential statements, adopted by consensus, have less legal weight.
Non-members of the council may speak in public meetings, but not vote.
The United States said Wednesday that it remained opposed to any council action on the Middle East, said AFP.
"Our position is that action in the Security Council isn't going to contribute to the objectives that we've had," US State Department spokesman Philip Reeker said in Washington.
"What we need to do is continue as we have ... focusing on implementation of Mitchell," he added, alluding to the report of an international commission headed by former US senator George Mitchell.
The Mitchell report called for an immediate end to the violence between Israelis and Palestinians which has now being going on for ten and a half months, and for confidence-building measures. It also called for international observers to be sent to the Palestinian territories, provided both parties to the conflict agreed.
On March 27, the United States used its veto in the Security Council for the first time in four years, to defeat a proposal to send an observer force to the Palestinian territories.
Reuters said that Nasser Al Kidwa, the Palestinian UN observer, circulated a draft resolution Thursday that called for a "monitoring mechanism," a vaguer term than previous unsuccessful proposals for an observer force to help end the violence.
"We have repeatedly said that it is the obligation of the Security Council to move and it is our duty to come to the council," Al Kidwa was quoted by the agency as saying.
"We are trying to do something reasonable and expect others to be reasonable as well."
The proposed draft decision also asks Israel to evacuate PLO offices in east Jerusalem, including Orient House, which was seized by Israeli police last Friday, together with nine other Palestinian institutions – Albawaba.com
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