EXCLUSIVE – Palestinian Official: We’re Discussing UN Action With Obama Administration

JAFFA, Israel – The Palestinian Authority has deepened its contacts with the U.S. in order to test the possibility that President Barack Obama may propose a UN Security Council decision regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a senior Palestinian official told Breitbart Jerusalem.

The source said that the diplomatic initiative was taken after Israel decided to build 98 new housing units in the West Bank, which drew unusually sharp condemnation from the U.S.

The Palestinians decided to pressure the Americans once again to propose a political process that would be adopted by the Security Council and require Israel to enter into negotiations with a clear timetable.

This is not the first time that the Palestinians have tried to convince the Obama administration to support such a move. Two months ago, the Palestinians tried to sway Obama to begin the process immediately after the presidential elections in November, but their attempts have yet to yield any results.

“At a moment when Israel’s plan for new construction has seriously disappointed the government, which warned that Israel is doing everything to harm American interests in the region, we hope that the U.S. will lead this process,” said the source. “The European Union and Russia will support it along with other countries. This is a rare window of opportunity in which the entire international community can be recruited to a process that will aim at putting an end to the Israeli occupation.”

According to the source, as part of the intensified contacts in the last few days, the Palestinians attempted to determine whether the U.S. might adopt the so-called French peace initiative or attempt to create a consensus in favor of a new process that would be a mix between the Arab and French efforts.

“We are doing all we can, together with our friends in the government and with our partners in the EU, to convince the U.S. to begin this process,” said the source. “Our feeling is that the U.S. has warmed up a lot to this proposal, especially after the military aid package with Israel, but we can’t say with certainty that the president will contribute to the process.”