The Palestinian leadership was set to meet Friday, as President Mahmoud Abbas comes under increasing pressure to withdraw a proposed UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, dpa reported.
Abbas called the meeting of the leadership of his Fatah party, and of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) after a 50-minute telephone conversation Thursday with US President Barack Obama.
The Security Council is expected Friday to begin discussing the resolution, which condemns Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem as illegal and demands Israel cease construction.
The US is expected to veto the resolution.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told reporters Thursday that the US has "consistently, over many years, said that the United Nations Security Council and resolutions that would come before the Security Council are not the right vehicle to advance" negotiations between the parties which result in an Israel and a Palestinian state living side by side.
Sources in the PLO said that even if Abbas wanted to withdraw the resolution, he would be outvoted at Friday's meeting.
The US is reportedly trying to persuade Abbas to withdraw the proposed resolution in favour of a non-binding one condemning settlement activity, and a package of incentives.
According to Israeli newspapar Ha'aretz, the incentives include more US pressure on Israel to cease settlement construction, a sharply worded statement against settlements - from the Middle East Quartet, or Obama himself. Another incentive, would be support for Russial's proposal that representives of Security Council member states visit the West Bank to express Support for the Palestinian Authority.
Palestinians have said they will not resume stalled peace talks until and unless Israel halts construction at its settlements.