Arab foreign ministers are set to decide a date when to ask the U.N. Security Council to vote on a Palestinian resolution that condemns Israeli construction activity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, according to diplomats. Palestinian authorities have been pushing for the vote to be scheduled Jan. 31, but Arab states have said they will wait until after a meeting among officials of the United Nations, the U.S., the European Union and Russia, the four parties working to broker peace in the Middle East, Channel News Asia reports.
Arab countries are risking a U.S. veto by pushing for a U.N. Security Council vote, Channel News Asia notes. The U.S. has expressed opposition to the Palestinian resolution and, as one of the Security Council’s five permanent members, it can veto the vote.