Arab League foreign ministers endorsed yesterday a draft resolution setting a timeframe for the creation of a Palestinian State and said they would formally present it to the United Nations Security Council for a vote within days.

The ministers said in a statement after their meeting that a follow-up committee including Jordan, an Arab member of the Security Council, would begin to seek international backing for the resolution. Arab League chief Nabil al-Araby said Jordan would present the draft to the Security Council within days.

A proposed resolution on a Palestinian State is unlikely to gain the support of veto-wielding council member the US, a key ally of Israel. It is not clear whether Washington would engage in formal negotiations on such a document.

At the opening of the session in Cairo, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Israel had left his people no option but to turn directly to the international community.

“The current situation in the Palestinian territories cannot continue,” he said. “There is no longer a partner for us in Israel and there is nothing for us but to internationalise the issue.”