CAIRO: Egypt says it will support all Palestinian demands, as a United Nations vote on Palestinian statehood on Friday approaches. Egypt's permanent representative to the UN, Maged Abdel-Fattah, assured that he and his Arab neighbors would continue support the Palestinian's bid.. To become a state, Palestinians must get the approval of nine out of the 15 Security Council members, with none of the permanent five members vetoing the bid. If the vote meets these requirements, it will then go to the General Assembly, where it will need to reach a two-thirds majority. The United States, a permanent member of the Security Council, has vowed to veto the Palestinian vote, insisting that direct talks are the only path to a solution. In a last ditch effort, the US and some European diplomats are urging the Palestinian leadership to withdraw their bid and return to talks. The vote, however, is considered a confrontational approach to the issue, as it will likely isolate the US diplomatically. It will reflect the scope of international support for a Palestinian state. “The intentions of the U.S. won't affect the support from Arab and non-aligned countries in helping Palestine. There were 134 countries that provided recognition to Palestine in 1967 and these countries are still insisting on their decision,” said Abdel-Fattah in a statement on Channel One on Wednesday. The Palestinian leadership decided to ask the UN to recognize a Palestinian state after Israel resumed settlement construction in the West Bank last year. The resumption of building disrupted US-delegated peace talks between Israel and Palestine. BM
