PALESTINIAN President Mahmoud Abbas submitted a final draft of a statehood resolution to the United Nations today.

The draft calls for a peace deal with Israel within a year and an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories by the end of 2017.

President Abbas informed US Secretary of State John Kerry by phone that he would press ahead with the initiative despite Israeli and US opposition, the official Palestinian WAFA news agency reported.

Several European countries had been pushing for a less stringent timeline, claiming that this might win broader support.

But the Palestinians rejected any further delays.

“Today the Arab group will meet in New York and we will submit the original draft resolution to the security council, hoping to conclude the vote by tomorrow or the day after,” said senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.

Palestinian officials said the resolution calls for negotiations to be based on the territorial lines that existed before Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip in the 1967 six-day war.

“The draft resolution ... ensures the end of the Israeli occupation that began in 1967 will come no later than the end of 2017,” the Palestine Liberation Organisation said.

“It calls for two sovereign, democratic and secure states, Palestine and Israel.”

Israel claims its eastern border would be indefensible if it withdrew from the West Bank.

A draft resolution submitted to the security council by Jordan on December 17 had called for Jerusalem to be the shared capital of Israel and the Palestinian state.

But yesterday’s proposal reverts to a firmer line, saying only that East Jerusalem will be the capital of Palestine.

It also calls for an end to illegal Israeli settlement building in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Israel claims that a security council vote would only deepen the conflict.

“We will continue to rebuff vigorously attempts to force terms that would jeopardise our security,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.