Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday he expected the United Nations Security Council to meet on Monday to vote on an Arab resolution condemning Israel's settlement policy in the Palestinian territories, dpa reported.
But while the resolution drafted by the Palestinian Authority includes statements denouncing settlements made by US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, Abbas conceded that it had little chance of being approved.
"We put (what Obama and Clinton have said about settlements) in the draft resolution," he said.
"The Americans, nevertheless, are opposed to it and they reject it. This is strange. They say things they do not mean, and this is where the problem is going to be at the Security Council," he said.
The resolution is expected to denounce the settlements as illegal and call on Israel to halt settlement construction in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Speaking to journalists, Abbas reiterated his position that he will not return to negotiations with Israel before all settlement activities, including in East Jerusalem, are halted.
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