Arab League backs Palestinian push for statehood

The Arab League on Saturday backed Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas's plan to seek UN endorsement for a timetable for declaring an independent state, and rejected recognising Israel as a Jewish nation. 

But the extraordinary meeting of Arab foreign ministers, which Abbas attended, did not announce when they would approach the United Nations Security Council.

A statement said the ministers agreed a plan which includes submitting an "Arab proposal to the United Nations Security Council to end the (Israeli) occupation," of Palestinian land. 

It also backed Palestinian plans to seek membership in UN agencies and international courts.  In 2012, the Palestinians won the status of UN observer state. 

With peace talks now bogged down, the Palestinians have warned they would go ahead with plans to submit a draft resolution to the UN Security Council demanding an end to Israeli occupation. 

As part of their diplomatic offensive they are also determined to seek to join the International Criminal Court, where they could sue Israeli officials over allegations of war crimes. 

The Arab foreign ministers also announced Saturday their "categorical rejection of recognising Israel as a Jewish state," the statement said.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded that Abbas, whose Palestinian Liberation Organisation recognised Israel in a 1993 accord, affirm the country as a "Jewish state". 

Netanyahu's government has passed a controversial draft law enshrining in law Israel's status as the Jewish national homeland.   The country's parliament, the Knesset, is to vote on the proposal on December 3.