Mahmoud Abbas is determined to join the ICC
Mahmoud Abbas is determined to join the ICCReuters

Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas visited Turkey on Monday, where he declared that he plans to submit another UN Security Council resolution for statehood in the very near future.

"Nothing will ever deter us from continuing our march towards obtaining the rights, freedom, and independence of our people," Abbas said at a meeting in Ankara with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, according to the PA-based Ma’an news agency.

He said he had briefed Erdogan on the PA’s efforts to return to the Security Council and join several international bodies.

At the end of December, the PA’s resolution calling on Israel to withdraw from Judea and Samaria by 2017 was put to a vote in the UN Security Council, but failed to secure enough votes in favor to pass.

Abbas later said he would go to the UN again, “perhaps after a week”. Jordan, which submitted the resolution on behalf of the PA, remains a member of the Security Council, but several other countries with revolving membership were replaced over the New Year.

The PA hopes these states will be more sympathetic to their resolution.

Abbas has continued his unilateral efforts against Israel by applying to join the International Criminal Court (ICC) and threatening to file complaints of war crimes against Israel.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced last week that the PA will join the ICC on April 1. The United States objects to the move, and on Monday President Barack Obama reiterated that view in a conversation with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.