Organisation and the 22-nation Arab group. Virtually all speakers criticised the Israeli plan, which they said would extend an „umbrella authority“ over nearby Israeli settlements in the West Bank, change the population balance in the Holy City and endanger the already faltering Middle East peace process. The PLO‘s U.N. observer, Nasser al- -Kidwa, said Israeli actions „might lead to the explosion of the whole region at any moment.“ Israeli ambassador Dore Gold said the shift in Jerusalem‘s municipal boundaries was aimed at bolstering its economy and infrastructure and would apply strictly to areas west of the city, within the pre-1967 war lines. The „umbrella municipality“ would not extend authority over any Israeli settlements but was a mechanism to coordinate services with surrounding communities, such as he said already existed between Jerusalem and several Palestinian towns. American ambassador Bill Richardson, who had tried to postpone the debate, said all parties should refrain from any unilateral action that could prejudge permanent status talks between Israel and the Palestinians. A proposed Arab resolution would condemn the Israeli plan and demand that it be rescinded. But it has not so far been formally submitted and the council adjourned without a vote until a date to be decided as a result of consultations. Some council members said a presidential statement, rather than a resolution, might eventually be worked out.