OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — Israel's foreign minister on Thursday described as a gimmick a Palestinian-proposed UN Security Council draft resolution that calls for a peace deal within a year and an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories by the end of 2017. “Certainly this will not hasten an agreement because without Israel's consent, nothing will change,” Avigdor Lieberman said in a statement. The draft resolution was formally submitted by Jordan to the 15-member council on Wednesday, which means it could be put to a vote as soon as 24 hours later, but it does not guarantee it will happen. Some drafts have never been voted on. Lieberman said the unilateral move at the United Nations, which followed the collapse in April of US-brokered talks on Palestinian statehood, would only deepen the decades-old conflict. “It would be better if the Security Council dealt with matters truly important to the citizens of the world, such as the murderous attacks this week in Australia and Pakistan, or discuss events in Syria and Libya, and not waste time on the Palestinian's gimmicks,” he said. — Reuters
