UNITED NATIONS, Dec 1: The US Ambassador to the United Nations, Zalkmay Khalilzad, may resign his post after the US delegation under Israeli pressure withdrew a UN resolution negotiated by him endorsing the Annapolis agreement between Israel and Palestinians, some diplomats here said.

The reasons for Israeli objections to the draft which favoured the US position was one of them. Mr Khalilzad did not consult with Israeli delegation before negotiating it with the Security Council.

Mr Khalilzad had negotiated the resolution in a closed meeting of 15-member UN Security Council and was given total support from all members. “It’s like an egg on his face, the US State Department undermined it’s own envoy by succumbing to Israeli demands “ said one diplomat.

The American about-face in less than 24 hours on Friday shocked most UN diplomats and underscored Israel’s hold over the US foreign policy.

With virtually every other Mideast resolution, the US has consulted Israel in advance, but on Thursday, US Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad first presented it at a closed council meeting.

On Thursday Ambassador Khalilzad was elated as he welcomed ‘’very positive’’ response from council members but told reporters he needed to consult with the Israelis and Palestinians on the text to ensure that the resolution was what they wanted.

Diplomats here said Israel didn’t want a resolution because it would bring the Security Council, which it distrusts, into the fledgling negotiations with the Palestinians.

A news report quoted diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Mr Khalilzad introduced the draft resolution not only without consulting the Israelis.

“It’s not the proper venue,” Israel’s deputy ambassador Daniel Carmon told reporters after Friday’s council meeting. “We feel that the appreciation of Annapolis has other means of being expressed than in a resolution.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas endorsed the resolution in the Tunisian capital, Tunis, on Friday, saying while he didn’t know the details of the draft resolution it was a sign of the United States’ seriousness, which he also perceived at the Annapolis conference.

“This means, if what we have learned is verified, that there are serious steps that speak to the existence of an American position supporting the negotiations,” Abbas said. Israel had sent a clear message to all US diplomats that it holds veto power over any US policy on Middle East one diplomat here said.