Palestinian president says UN Security Council will discuss settlements next week

RAMALLAH: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday he expected the United Nations Security Council to meet on Monday or as early as next week to discuss a resolution condemning Israel's settlement policy in the Palestinian territories.

"We are going to the Security Council to denounce settlements, all settlement activities. We are using what President Obama and (US Secretary of State) Clinton have said about settlements and put them in the draft resolution," Abbas told journalists.

"The Americans, however, are objecting and refuse 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 added.

Abbas reiterated that Palestine will not return to negotiations while Israel continues building settlements, despite opposition from Palestine, the United States, and the "majority of Israel." The resolution is expected to denounce the settlements as illegal.

The United States on Wednesday condemned the recent approval for a settlement construction in East Jerusalem and said that these actions are against peace efforts.

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