France hopes U.S. won't stand in way of Israel-Palestine peace resolution

posted on: Apr 2, 2015

France sees a window of opportunity after Israel’s elections to get the United States on board with a new push for Mideast peace, and is preparing a draft UN Security Council resolution in about 12 days, according to French diplomatic officials.

The draft would define the pre-1967 frontier as a reference point for border talks but allow room for exchanges of territory, designate Jerusalem as capital of both Israel and a Palestinian state and call for a fair solution for Palestinian refugees, one official told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

While the substance of the French draft may not differ much from past failed efforts to revive Mideast peace talks, France is hoping this time to avoid a U.S. veto at the UN because of increasing American frustration with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The French official described a possible “backdoor” for negotiations now, and said “all actors including the Americans now realize that all other ways have been explored, without success.”

Source: www.haaretz.com