 |
 | Israel Clamps Down on Fly-in Protest 23:06 07/09/2011 |
| Turkey PM Repeats Call for Israeli Apology 22:59 07/09/2011 |
| Israel Expels Pro-Palestinian Activists 13:32 07/08/2011 |
| Israel Serves Airlines with 'Blacklist' 13:30 07/08/2011 |
| US Warns against Palestinian Statehood 00:02 07/08/2011 |
| Greece Halts Gaza-bound French Boat 23:58 07/07/2011 |
| UN Slams Israel over Nakba Violence 14:48 07/06/2011 |
| Israel ups Security for Activists' Visit 14:46 07/06/2011 |
| UN Voice Concern over Situation in Gaza 14:43 07/06/2011 |
| Israel Army Kills 2 Palestinians in Gaza Camp 20:21 07/05/2011 |
| 100s Plan Israel Flights on Way to Gaza 20:20 07/05/2011 |
| Palestinian Authority Faces Cash Shortage 20:18 07/05/2011 |
| Barak Wants to Exclude Certain Bodies from Deal with PA 20:15 07/05/2011 |
| Israel Confirms Deal to Hand over Palestinian Bodies Held Since 1967 15:38 07/04/2011 |
| Greece Stops Gaza-bound Canadian Boat 14:57 07/04/2011 |
| Canada Activists Back Gaza Aid Convoy 14:30 07/04/2011 |
| Greece Arrests Captain of US Gaza-bound Boat 20:22 07/02/2011 |
| Nasrallah Implies Israel behind Hariri Murder 20:00 07/02/2011 |
| Israel Manipulating Greece over Gaza, Says Activist 19:54 07/02/2011 |
| Spain might Recognize Palestinian State 19:35 07/02/2011 |
| Report: US to Offer Israel Incentives to Negotiate 17:01 07/01/2011 |
| US Gaza-bound Boat Returning to Greek Port 16:44 07/01/2011 |
| UK Detains Palestinian-Israeli Leader Salah 17:58 06/29/2011 |
| Activists Say Israel Sabotaged Gaza Convoy 17:54 06/29/2011 |
| Israel Warns Gaza Flotilla Activists 17:47 06/29/2011 |
| Israel Arrests Four Hamas Members 17:42 06/29/2011 |
| Ex-US Politician Joins Gaza Aid Convoy 22:50 06/28/2011 |
| Israel Pushes Greece to Halt Gaza Flotilla 22:48 06/28/2011 |
| Israel Warns against Palestinian UN Bid 22:46 06/28/2011
Diplomacy Goes for Nought with Israelis
By Stuart Reigeluth
The Palestinians have been standing in line for decades, waiting to join the global family of nations, waiting for international recognition, waiting most of all for the superpower seal of approval.
There is a historic irony in South Sudan skipping the line and becoming the 193rd country today, but Palestine may have its chance yet in September at the United Nations.
The UN General Assembly consists of 193 states now (including South Sudan soon) and needs a 2/3 majority of 128 states to approve the UN Security Council recommendation for Palestinian statehood. However, if the United States vetoes the motion at the UNSC — as it is expected to do — then the recommendation obviously will not go on to the next stage.
What can the Palestinians do? They could push to circumvent the Security Council by appealing to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and claim that the near-certain US veto was issued for inappropriate reasons, but this is a non-starter since it would take a long time and Israel does not seem to respect ICJ decisions anyhow. Anyone remember the ‘Separation' Wall?
Then there is the option to circumvent the US veto by invoking a "Uniting for Peace" resolution that was used in 1950 to bypass USSR vetoes during the Korean War. The UN General Assembly could take collective action here to say that a Security Council veto "fails to exercise its primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security."
Israel obviously doesn't want Palestine to join the international family of nations. Imagine one UN member state (Israel) occupying another UN member state (Palestine) — how absurd?
But the situation is beyond absurdity: Israel hardly respects the UN as an international institution and could care less about Palestinian statehood, peace with the Palestinians or other kinds of recognitions.
And the Palestinian people and politicians realise that the UN bid is probably not going to lead to full UN membership, Palestinian statehood and sovereignty, or an end to the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank, the lifting of the siege of Gaza, and the acquiescence of a Palestinian capital — as symbolic as it may be — somewhere in whatever remains of the occupied east Jerusalem enclave.
But this is a tremendous diplomatic step for the Palestinians — the latest of many attempts to enter mainstream international politics as a recognised sovereign state. Arafat may have been corrupted and unable to control the different Palestinian factions, thanks in large part to Israel's divide-and-rule policy, but it was Arafat who put Palestine on the political map. |
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