Members of the Palestinian delegation at the United Nations General Assembly. Photo: UN Photo/Rick Bajornas.

Palestinian officials have begun circulating a draft resolution among members of the the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The resolution condemns Israeli construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem and calls for its halt. It also condemns Israeli settler violence. In response, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that “(Mahmoud Abbas) is taking steps that will push negotiations farther away.”

The Palestinians are planning to test the outgoing Obama administration with this draft, After the US vetoed a similarly-worded resolution in 2011. This draft resolution is moderate in comparison to the resolution put forth by the Palestinians five years ago, as it doesn’t call for the establishment of a Palestinian state or for international protection.

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