The Palestinian UN bid, will Palestine be an 'official' state next week?
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Alkindus
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So it;s D-day for Palestine in a few days, what are your expectations, do you think they will pull through? do you feel they should have their own state and become a member of the UN? How/what will this change? share your view comrades
here is an article about it:
Abbas to lay out Palestine UN bid
PLO chairman to deliver key address in Ramallah in run-up to bid for full recognition at the United Nations.
Last Modified: 16 Sep 2011 09:10
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Palestinians are set to push forward with a bid for full membership of the United Nations, officials say, with Mahmoud Abbas, the chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation and president of the Palestinian Authority, due to deliver a key speech in Ramallah.
Abbas is due to outline the details of the bid, which will be made via a direct request to the United Nations Security Council, during the speech in Ramallah on Friday.
He is expected to hand in an application in person to Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, on Monday, ahead of the UN General Assembly's 66th session.
Abbas is acting in his capacity as chairman of the PLO, not as the president of the PA, in a bid that Washington has repeatedly said it would veto at the UNSC.
The latest Palestinian assertion that they will push forward with the plan comes as a senior US diplomatic team was in the region to attempt to dissuade the PLO leadership from doing so in favour of restarting peace talks.
"The Palestinians will not and cannot achieve statehood through a declaration at the United Nations. It is a distraction, and in fact, it's counterproductive," Jay Carney, the White House spokesman, said.
He said that "the only way to resolve the issues between the Palestinians and the Israelis, and to ultimately create a Palestinian state, is through direct negotiations."
Final decision pending
Riad Malki, the Palestinian Authority's foreign minister, said on Thursday that the US stance risks putting the country in a "confrontational position" with the rest of the world.
"I don't know what it means to the standing of the US in the United Nations and among the countries of the world," he said.
Nevertheless, the Palestinians have left the door open for compromise, with Malki saying that the PA is willing to listen to suggestions from US envoys.
Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer for Palestine at the UN, says that a final decision on whether to pursue recognition in the Security Council or to seek a lesser, symbolic status has not yet been made.
"The final decision will be taken in the next few days as to which path we will follow," Mansour said.
Asked about Abbas' comments in Ramallah, he said: "There are many words from many places, but what I'm telling you is that we are deliberating all these details and it is not yet finalised."
The Palestinians are seeking international recognition of an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Benyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has rejected a complete pullout from the West Bank, and also says that Israel will not divide Jerusalem, the eastern part of which the Palestinians also wish to use as their capital.
While a UN vote will not change the situation on the ground, the Palestinians believe that it will improve their position in any future negotiations.
Malki argued that Israel could help its eroding diplomatic relations in the region if it agrees to accept the existence of a Palestinian state.
"I think the best way out for Israel today is to come forward and to recognise the state of Palestine on the 1967 borders,'' Malki said.
In recent months Israel has seen ties with allies Egypt, Turkey and Jordan sour.
US President Barack Obama has endorsed the 1967 lines as a basis for a settlement of the issue.
Visiting diplomats
David Hale and Dennis Ross, both US envoys, were the latest in a string of senior diplomats in the region to try to persuade the Palestinians to cancel their UN bid and salvage peace talks.
Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief, and Tony Blair, the former British prime minister and now an envoy to the Middle East on behalf of the US, UN, EU and Russia, have both held talks with the Palestinian leadership in recent days.
EU diplomats in Brussels said that Ashton had pushed for an approach that involves returning to the negotiating table, while leaving the option for full UN recognition open. In the meantime, the Palestinians could request "non-member state" observer status, as opposed to its current status as "entity".
While largely symbolic, the Palestinians are guaranteed to win a vote in the chamber of the UNGA, which is dominated by developing countries sympathetic to their cause. The Palestinians say that about 130 countries have already pledged to support any move for full recognition.
Malki would not go into specifics on what would be required in order to stop the Palestinians from pursuing their UN bid. He said only that it would require a "firm base with clear terms of reference, a clear timetable and with a clear end game".
Source: Agencies
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/09/20119166105349125.html
here is an article about it:
Abbas to lay out Palestine UN bid
PLO chairman to deliver key address in Ramallah in run-up to bid for full recognition at the United Nations.
Last Modified: 16 Sep 2011 09:10
inShare
1EmailPrintShareFeedback
Palestinians are set to push forward with a bid for full membership of the United Nations, officials say, with Mahmoud Abbas, the chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organisation and president of the Palestinian Authority, due to deliver a key speech in Ramallah.
Abbas is due to outline the details of the bid, which will be made via a direct request to the United Nations Security Council, during the speech in Ramallah on Friday.
He is expected to hand in an application in person to Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, on Monday, ahead of the UN General Assembly's 66th session.
Abbas is acting in his capacity as chairman of the PLO, not as the president of the PA, in a bid that Washington has repeatedly said it would veto at the UNSC.
The latest Palestinian assertion that they will push forward with the plan comes as a senior US diplomatic team was in the region to attempt to dissuade the PLO leadership from doing so in favour of restarting peace talks.
"The Palestinians will not and cannot achieve statehood through a declaration at the United Nations. It is a distraction, and in fact, it's counterproductive," Jay Carney, the White House spokesman, said.
He said that "the only way to resolve the issues between the Palestinians and the Israelis, and to ultimately create a Palestinian state, is through direct negotiations."
Final decision pending
Riad Malki, the Palestinian Authority's foreign minister, said on Thursday that the US stance risks putting the country in a "confrontational position" with the rest of the world.
"I don't know what it means to the standing of the US in the United Nations and among the countries of the world," he said.
Nevertheless, the Palestinians have left the door open for compromise, with Malki saying that the PA is willing to listen to suggestions from US envoys.
Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer for Palestine at the UN, says that a final decision on whether to pursue recognition in the Security Council or to seek a lesser, symbolic status has not yet been made.
"The final decision will be taken in the next few days as to which path we will follow," Mansour said.
Asked about Abbas' comments in Ramallah, he said: "There are many words from many places, but what I'm telling you is that we are deliberating all these details and it is not yet finalised."
The Palestinians are seeking international recognition of an independent state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Benyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has rejected a complete pullout from the West Bank, and also says that Israel will not divide Jerusalem, the eastern part of which the Palestinians also wish to use as their capital.
While a UN vote will not change the situation on the ground, the Palestinians believe that it will improve their position in any future negotiations.
Malki argued that Israel could help its eroding diplomatic relations in the region if it agrees to accept the existence of a Palestinian state.
"I think the best way out for Israel today is to come forward and to recognise the state of Palestine on the 1967 borders,'' Malki said.
In recent months Israel has seen ties with allies Egypt, Turkey and Jordan sour.
US President Barack Obama has endorsed the 1967 lines as a basis for a settlement of the issue.
Visiting diplomats
David Hale and Dennis Ross, both US envoys, were the latest in a string of senior diplomats in the region to try to persuade the Palestinians to cancel their UN bid and salvage peace talks.
Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief, and Tony Blair, the former British prime minister and now an envoy to the Middle East on behalf of the US, UN, EU and Russia, have both held talks with the Palestinian leadership in recent days.
EU diplomats in Brussels said that Ashton had pushed for an approach that involves returning to the negotiating table, while leaving the option for full UN recognition open. In the meantime, the Palestinians could request "non-member state" observer status, as opposed to its current status as "entity".
While largely symbolic, the Palestinians are guaranteed to win a vote in the chamber of the UNGA, which is dominated by developing countries sympathetic to their cause. The Palestinians say that about 130 countries have already pledged to support any move for full recognition.
Malki would not go into specifics on what would be required in order to stop the Palestinians from pursuing their UN bid. He said only that it would require a "firm base with clear terms of reference, a clear timetable and with a clear end game".
Source: Agencies
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/09/20119166105349125.html
Comments
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I don't even understand all the speculation on the administrative side... we all know what is going to happen. US WILL veto at UNSC, and UNGA will almost certainly vote to approve partial status instead.
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Nope, Palestinians are screwed. They will never have their own state. Maybe in the next 100 years, if they're lucky. Their too weak and Israel is too strong. That and America loves Israel too much to ever respect anything Palestinians have to say. Sad but it is what it is.
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Well the West has been running pretty high in favor of the Arab Spring. Why support other Arab peoples and not support the Palestinians. Change in that region is usually followed by violence but so are most revolutions. From Abbas's perspective you can't really blame him especially with Arab Spring still in effect. Keeping the status quo isn't moving either party anywhere closer to peace.
