Palestinian statehood: can the UN vote be more than just symbolic recognition?

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By: Ian Black *

The United Nations has staked out landmark positions many times on the question of Palestine, but the current attempt to secure recognition for Palestinian statehood has powerful echoes of one its most significant past decisions – the partition of the country into separate Jewish and Arab states in November 1947.

That vote by the UN general assembly was necessitated by Britain’s desire to shed responsibility for the then mandated territory. Hailed by the Jews but fatefully rejected by the Arabs, the move signalled the start of fighting before the establishment of Israel and the flight of the Palestinian refugees – the “Nakba” – the following year.

Both sides are thus sharply aware of the historical resonance of next week’s UN bid. Ehud Barak, Israel’s defence minister, has warned of a “diplomatic tsunami”. But others predict a damp squib. In this view, the manoeuvring seems unlikely to deliver more than symbolic recognition of an already widely recognised right. But that may be underestimating the impact. And surprises cannot be ruled out.

In a new report, the International Crisis Group describes the path to the UN as “a tale of collective mismanagement”. It blames Palestinian leaders “plagued by ignorance, internal divisions and brinkmanship for overselling what they could achieve and scrambling to avoid further loss of domestic credibility”.

Israel, it warns, is over-dramatising the impact of UN recognition and has threatened to retaliate against the Palestinians. “The US administration, unable to steer events, fed up with both sides, and facing a Congress that will inflict a price for any Palestinian move at the UN, just wants the whole thing to go away. It is pressing instead for a resumption of negotiations which, in the current context, are likely to collapse – making it a cure more hazardous than the ailment.”

On the Palestinian side, the drive for recognition flows from a sense that the moribund “peace process” – never more deserving of those quotation marks than now – helps maintain a status quo that allows the relentless expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Earlier this year the “Palestine papers” published by the Guardian exposed the yawning gap between the two sides.

Supporters of Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, argue that even if a threatened US veto means that the effort will produce nothing more than observer status at the UN – akin to that of the Vatican – Palestinians will still gain access to organisations such as the international criminal court at The Hague and be able to use them to fight the occupation and its abuses – “lawfare” rather than warfare.

But a powerful counter-argument on the Palestinian side, where there is growing disillusionment with the two-state solution, is that this is a distraction from the real business of resisting Israel. That strategy envisages a struggle for civil rights on both sides of the old 1967 border with the distant goal of somehow achieving one single democratic state for Arabs and Jews.

The truth is that no solution at all is likely as long as Israel’s Likud-led government refuses to accept the establishment of an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders. And Abbas still faces opposition from Hamas, the Islamist movement that controls Gaza and opposes both negotiations with Israel and the struggle for UN recognition because it believes “that rights are grabbed and not begged for”.

Israeli “doves” see one big positive. “Abbas is effectively agreeing to a partial settlement of his final status claims that could be highly advantageous for the cause of a stable two-state solution,” wrote analyst Yossi Alpher at Bitterlemons.org.

“Abbas is asking the UN for a territorial solution: a Palestinian state based on the 1967 lines with its capital in Jerusalem. He is not asking the UN to rule on the right of return or the ‘ownership’ of the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif in Jerusalem – the real ‘dealbreakers’ when the two parties sit down to direct negotiations.” Those advantages are seen as disadvantages by many Palestinians.

With the seismic changes of the Arab spring and Israel’s spats with Egypt and Turkey in the background, this is a potentially significant moment. The two big questions are whether international recognition of a Palestinian state will make substantive and successful negotiations any more likely; and whether a UN decision – like that one back in 1947 and so many others since – will be rendered irrelevant by events and facts on the ground.

*The Guardian Middle East editor

The Guardian

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Comments

55 responses to “Palestinian statehood: can the UN vote be more than just symbolic recognition?”

  1. I support a binational state but a Palestinian state will atleast give the Palestinians something useful like a real passport and a somewhat functional country to start with.

    Israel fears anyone other than itself in the region from gaining power and status. They want the Palestinians as subordinates with elevated or upgraded status as Netanyahu said rather than having a formal country.

    The only problem is the US veto of a Palestinian state. I mean why would one country have veto power while the others don’t. It’s because the UN was created by the US and its capital is in New York City. NYC is the capital of the world and is home to the UN headquarters. New York is also known as the Empire State. It is the state which runs the worldwide US Empire.

    The intended plan  by the Jesuits and the Zionist Freemasons is to change the capital of the world from NYC to Jerusalem only after a big war and the rebuilding of the Temple of Solomon where they will have the UN headquarters stationed there to “keep the peace”.
    The UN’s goal is globalism where the whole world and all nations on this planet will become similair to how the 50 US states operate in regards to each other. The major problem I have with them is that they want their laws to overrule constitutions and national declared laws and forms of government. This will cause a loss of national identity, patriotism and real sovereignty of a nation. It will result in a form of communism where no one will be free and only under the rule of law of the UN. Another major problem is Agenda 21 of the United Nations which deals with population reduction through inhumane and covert methods. Groups like the World Health Organization and Planned Parenthood are teaming up in killing the youth of our planet and they are actively killing people from all walks of life, nations, religions and races. Something has to be done about it.

    1. Adam Yonatan Ben Yoel Avatar
      Adam Yonatan Ben Yoel

      Israel fears anyone hostile towards her, gaining military power or strategic power. I think that’s a fairly logical fear don’t you?

      Israel fears an angry Arab state (backed by an Arab region) surrounding her capital and flanking her major business district from an elevated range, closing her major population centres into a ten mile strip. I think that this is also fairly logical.

      1. Pay the Palestinians compensation. Offer them their own state or even a binational state in partnership with Israel with a right of return then you won’t need all that.

        1. 7akibalash Avatar
          7akibalash

          what a load of crap you are peddling john, pay the palestinians compensation for what exactly? offer them their own state? they can build their own state if they stopped trying to kill jews and start building a peacefull demilitirized state.
          right of return? no one forced them out, as a matter of fact those who stayed are still there and no one kicked them out, they became Israeli citizens…. get real, and get away from arab propoganda, that crap rots your brain and makes you sound stupider than you actually are.

        2. Ryan1990 Avatar

          “right of return? no one forced them out” as 7akibalash says, hmmmmm  he is like saying they can’t go back home!
          No lebanese said that ever before, even the most extremist right wing lebanese would not say that! . Would  “7akibalash” be an Israeli Zionist ???? Not necessarily by birth…. but in practice!!!!!     hmmm, his comments are implying that!!!!
          and as a PAID “Volunteer” 7akibalash, why is the  reply button  removed  from messages  you don’t want anyone to reply to!!!!
            (……………….) !!!Your replies 7akibalash are full of Crap, Literally!!!. I mean look at them all (whenever the reply button is  …not there !!!) ….. You are not used to  hearing different  opinions!!!!  Let see how “yalibnan” deal with this comment!, and then  we’ll see (…).  

    2. 5thDrawer Avatar

      Well … we could all go back to digging in King Solomon’s Mines, I suppose. At least that might fund temple-rebuilds.
      Go back a little further and refurbish the Egyptian Pyramids while you’re at it … the man-power you seem to wish to have will be readily available when you stop them from killing all those babies and allowing women to be used as baby-factories again, and your youth will allow you to survive while the aged will die off faster due to over-work and the under-fed conditions you create by over-population – unless, of course Malthus was correct. In which case Mother Earth will take care of all of it.
        Of course, I am wondering what you will call your form of leadership. I assume you have something in mind.

      1. I don’t have a set leader but I admire the work of Ron Paul and Jordan Maxwell in waking up humanity. Norman Finkelstein and Noam Chomsky are also good too.

        The people I like in Israel are Yonatan Shapira, Ahmed Tibi and Barry Chamish.

    3. Adam Yonatan Ben Yoel Avatar
      Adam Yonatan Ben Yoel

      Once you show me that Lebanon has functioned as a geo-political nation-state in this region for at least 100 years, without a large exodus of particular groups, I will consider a bi-national state.

      1. 5thDrawer Avatar

        Rather difficult Adam, when a non-waring people keep having various other people’s armies run over them all the time.

        1. Adam Yonatan Ben Yoel Avatar
          Adam Yonatan Ben Yoel

          Right but if the people were largely united in their allegiances then there would’ve been no civil war and no backing for external invasions.

        2. 5thDrawer Avatar

          It wasn’t Lebanese who were not united. It was everyone dropping in on them with the damn religious idiots who couldn’t get it together. The Lebanese have been walked over since the Romans filled in the ocean at Tyre. Seems nothing has changed since then.

    4. 7akibalash Avatar
      7akibalash

      john, you gotta lay off the crack pipe and the conspiracy theory websites… your condition is what I call : information overload. seriously, seek some psychiatric help, you are in dire need of it.
      the US has veto power and so do 4 other nations, namely china, russia, UK and france.
      the US tax payer funds over 54% of the UN, now why does any other country have veto power when they dont contribute shit to the UN is beyond me…
      as for the rest of the crap that you typed, it was just that: crap.

    5. MeYosemite Avatar
      MeYosemite

      In general when someone state something like that I would ask for the reference. but that is too far fetched to begin with to debate source. Although I sense authenticity in your believe thus below:

      There is no need to believe all websites. Many are made to attract readers (like you) or others to panic while the authors make money either through subscription, advertisement etc. Unfortunately many fall victims to those conspiray theories as followers become obsessed by it. Obsession is the result of lack of information alternatives. Anway, they are stories to dream upon, but just fiction. Many make good fortune by spreading theories. From what is your SO is doing, to the end of the world, to someone’s scheme to dominate the word.

  2. I support a binational state but a Palestinian state will atleast give the Palestinians something useful like a real passport and a somewhat functional country to start with.

    Israel fears anyone other than itself in the region from gaining power and status. They want the Palestinians as subordinates with elevated or upgraded status as Netanyahu said rather than having a formal country.

    The only problem is the US veto of a Palestinian state. I mean why would one country have veto power while the others don’t. It’s because the UN was created by the US and its capital is in New York City. NYC is the capital of the world and is home to the UN headquarters. New York is also known as the Empire State. It is the state which runs the worldwide US Empire.

    The intended plan  by the Jesuits and the Zionist Freemasons is to change the capital of the world from NYC to Jerusalem only after a big war and the rebuilding of the Temple of Solomon where they will have the UN headquarters stationed there to “keep the peace”.
    The UN’s goal is globalism where the whole world and all nations on this planet will become similair to how the 50 US states operate in regards to each other. The major problem I have with them is that they want their laws to overrule constitutions and national declared laws and forms of government. This will cause a loss of national identity, patriotism and real sovereignty of a nation. It will result in a form of communism where no one will be free and only under the rule of law of the UN. Another major problem is Agenda 21 of the United Nations which deals with population reduction through inhumane and covert methods. Groups like the World Health Organization and Planned Parenthood are teaming up in killing the youth of our planet and they are actively killing people from all walks of life, nations, religions and races. Something has to be done about it.

    1. Adam Yonatan Ben Yoel Avatar
      Adam Yonatan Ben Yoel

      Israel fears anyone hostile towards her, gaining military power or strategic power. I think that’s a fairly logical fear don’t you?

      Israel fears an angry Arab state (backed by an Arab region) surrounding her capital and flanking her major business district from an elevated range, closing her major population centres into a ten mile strip. I think that this is also fairly logical.

    2. 5thDrawer Avatar

      Well … we could all go back to digging in King Solomon’s Mines, I suppose. At least that might fund temple-rebuilds.
      Go back a little further and refurbish the Egyptian Pyramids while you’re at it … the man-power you seem to wish to have will be readily available when you stop them from killing all those babies and allowing women to be used as baby-factories again, and your youth will allow you to survive while the aged will die off faster due to over-work and the under-fed conditions you create by over-population – unless, of course Malthus was correct. In which case Mother Earth will take care of all of it.
        Of course, I am wondering what you will call your form of leadership. I assume you have something in mind.

  3.  Avatar

    I support a binational state but a Palestinian state will atleast give the Palestinians something useful like a real passport and a somewhat functional country to start with.

    Israel fears anyone other than itself in the region from gaining power and status. They want the Palestinians as subordinates with elevated or upgraded status as Netanyahu said rather than having a formal country.

    The only problem is the US veto of a Palestinian state. I mean why would one country have veto power while the others don’t. It’s because the UN was created by the US and its capital is in New York City. NYC is the capital of the world and is home to the UN headquarters. New York is also known as the Empire State. It is the state which runs the worldwide US Empire.

    The intended plan  by the Jesuits and the Zionist Freemasons is to change the capital of the world from NYC to Jerusalem only after a big war and the rebuilding of the Temple of Solomon where they will have the UN headquarters stationed there to “keep the peace”.
    The UN’s goal is globalism where the whole world and all nations on this planet will become similair to how the 50 US states operate in regards to each other. The major problem I have with them is that they want their laws to overrule constitutions and national declared laws and forms of government. This will cause a loss of national identity, patriotism and real sovereignty of a nation. It will result in a form of communism where no one will be free and only under the rule of law of the UN. Another major problem is Agenda 21 of the United Nations which deals with population reduction through inhumane and covert methods. Groups like the World Health Organization and Planned Parenthood are teaming up in killing the youth of our planet and they are actively killing people from all walks of life, nations, religions and races. Something has to be done about it.

    1. Israel fears anyone hostile towards her, gaining military power or strategic power. I think that’s a fairly logical fear don’t you?

      Israel fears an angry Arab state (backed by an Arab region) surrounding her capital and flanking her major business district from an elevated range, closing her major population centres into a ten mile strip. I think that this is also fairly logical.

      1.  Avatar

        Pay the Palestinians compensation. Offer them their own state or even a binational state in partnership with Israel with a right of return then you won’t need all that.

        1.  Avatar

          what a load of crap you are peddling john, pay the palestinians compensation for what exactly? offer them their own state? they can build their own state if they stopped trying to kill jews and start building a peacefull demilitirized state.
          right of return? no one forced them out, as a matter of fact those who stayed are still there and no one kicked them out, they became Israeli citizens…. get real, and get away from arab propoganda, that crap rots your brain and makes you sound stupider than you actually are.

        2.  Avatar

          what a load of crap you are peddling john, pay the palestinians compensation for what exactly? offer them their own state? they can build their own state if they stopped trying to kill jews and start building a peacefull demilitirized state.
          right of return? no one forced them out, as a matter of fact those who stayed are still there and no one kicked them out, they became Israeli citizens…. get real, and get away from arab propoganda, that crap rots your brain and makes you sound stupider than you actually are.

        3.  Avatar

          “right of return? no one forced them out” as 7akibalash says, hmmmmm  he is like saying they can’t go back home!
          No lebanese said that ever before, even the most extremist right wing lebanese would not say that! . Would  “7akibalash” be an Israeli Zionist ???? Not necessarily by birth…. but in practice!!!!!     hmmm, his comments are implying that!!!!
          and as a PAID “Volunteer” 7akibalash, why is the  reply button  removed  from messages  you don’t want anyone to reply to!!!!
            (……………….) !!!Your replies 7akibalash are full of Crap, Literally!!!. I mean look at them all (whenever the reply button is  …not there !!!) ….. You are not used to  hearing different  opinions!!!!  Let see how “yalibnan” deal with this comment!, and then  we’ll see (…).  

      2.  Avatar

        Pay the Palestinians compensation. Offer them their own state or even a binational state in partnership with Israel with a right of return then you won’t need all that.

    2.  Avatar

      Well … we could all go back to digging in King Solomon’s Mines, I suppose. At least that might fund temple-rebuilds.
      Go back a little further and refurbish the Egyptian Pyramids while you’re at it … the man-power you seem to wish to have will be readily available when you stop them from killing all those babies and allowing women to be used as baby-factories again, and your youth will allow you to survive while the aged will die off faster due to over-work and the under-fed conditions you create by over-population – unless, of course Malthus was correct. In which case Mother Earth will take care of all of it.
        Of course, I am wondering what you will call your form of leadership. I assume you have something in mind.

      1.  Avatar

        I don’t have a set leader but I admire the work of Ron Paul and Jordan Maxwell in waking up humanity. Norman Finkelstein and Noam Chomsky are also good too.

        The people I like in Israel are Yonatan Shapira, Ahmed Tibi and Barry Chamish.

    3.  Avatar

      Well … we could all go back to digging in King Solomon’s Mines, I suppose. At least that might fund temple-rebuilds.
      Go back a little further and refurbish the Egyptian Pyramids while you’re at it … the man-power you seem to wish to have will be readily available when you stop them from killing all those babies and allowing women to be used as baby-factories again, and your youth will allow you to survive while the aged will die off faster due to over-work and the under-fed conditions you create by over-population – unless, of course Malthus was correct. In which case Mother Earth will take care of all of it.
        Of course, I am wondering what you will call your form of leadership. I assume you have something in mind.

    4. Once you show me that Lebanon has functioned as a geo-political nation-state in this region for at least 100 years, without a large exodus of particular groups, I will consider a bi-national state.

      1.  Avatar

        Rather difficult when a non-waring people keep having various other people’s armies run over them all the time.

        1. Right but if the people were largely united in their allegiances then there would’ve been no civil war and no backing for external invasions.

        2. Right but if the people were largely united in their allegiances then there would’ve been no civil war and no backing for external invasions.

        3.  Avatar

          It wasn’t Lebanese who were not united. It was everyone dropping in on them with the damn religious idiots who couldn’t get it together. The Lebanese have been walked over since the Romans filled in the ocean at Tyre. Seems nothing has changed since then.

    5.  Avatar

      john, you gotta lay off the crack pipe and the conspiracy theory websites… your condition is what I call : information overload. seriously, seek some psychiatric help, you are in dire need of it.
      the US has veto power and so do 4 other nations, namely china, russia, UK and france.
      the US tax payer funds over 54% of the UN, now why does any other country have veto power when they dont contribute shit to the UN is beyond me…
      as for the rest of the crap that you typed, it was just that: crap.

    6.  Avatar

      john, you gotta lay off the crack pipe and the conspiracy theory websites… your condition is what I call : information overload. seriously, seek some psychiatric help, you are in dire need of it.
      the US has veto power and so do 4 other nations, namely china, russia, UK and france.
      the US tax payer funds over 54% of the UN, now why does any other country have veto power when they dont contribute shit to the UN is beyond me…
      as for the rest of the crap that you typed, it was just that: crap.

    7.  Avatar

      In general when someone state something like that I would ask for the reference. but that is too far fetched to begin with to debate source. Although I sense authenticity in your believe thus below:

      There is no need to believe all websites. Many are made to attract readers (like you) or others to panic while the authors make money either through subscription, advertisement etc. Unfortunately many fall victims to those conspiray theories as followers become obsessed by it. Obsession is the result of lack of information alternatives. Anway, they are stories to dream upon, but just fiction. Many make good fortune by spreading theories. From what is your SO is doing, to the end of the world, to someone’s scheme to dominate the word.

  4.  Avatar

    I support a binational state but a Palestinian state will atleast give the Palestinians something useful like a real passport and a somewhat functional country to start with.

    Israel fears anyone other than itself in the region from gaining power and status. They want the Palestinians as subordinates with elevated or upgraded status as Netanyahu said rather than having a formal country.

    The only problem is the US veto of a Palestinian state. I mean why would one country have veto power while the others don’t. It’s because the UN was created by the US and its capital is in New York City. NYC is the capital of the world and is home to the UN headquarters. New York is also known as the Empire State. It is the state which runs the worldwide US Empire.

    The intended plan  by the Jesuits and the Zionist Freemasons is to change the capital of the world from NYC to Jerusalem only after a big war and the rebuilding of the Temple of Solomon where they will have the UN headquarters stationed there to “keep the peace”.
    The UN’s goal is globalism where the whole world and all nations on this planet will become similair to how the 50 US states operate in regards to each other. The major problem I have with them is that they want their laws to overrule constitutions and national declared laws and forms of government. This will cause a loss of national identity, patriotism and real sovereignty of a nation. It will result in a form of communism where no one will be free and only under the rule of law of the UN. Another major problem is Agenda 21 of the United Nations which deals with population reduction through inhumane and covert methods. Groups like the World Health Organization and Planned Parenthood are teaming up in killing the youth of our planet and they are actively killing people from all walks of life, nations, religions and races. Something has to be done about it.

  5. Adam Yonatan Ben Yoel Avatar
    Adam Yonatan Ben Yoel

    It’s unfortunate that you indoctrinate your readers regarding my country…

  6. Adam Yonatan Ben Yoel Avatar
    Adam Yonatan Ben Yoel

    It’s unfortunate that you indoctrinate your readers regarding my country…

  7. It’s unfortunate that you indoctrinate your readers regarding my country…

  8. It’s unfortunate that you indoctrinate your readers regarding my country…

  9. Adam Yonatan Ben Yoel Avatar
    Adam Yonatan Ben Yoel

    You can always find antisemites and self hating Jews  to write articles about Israel.

  10. You can always find antisemites and self hating Jews  to write articles about Israel.

    1.  Avatar

      Not everything that contradicts your beliefs is regarded as “antisemetic”. Unless he called Jews dogs or any other inappropriate word then labeling the article as “antisemetic” is uncalled for. Most Jews are not even Semites but Jews by religion. Most Arabs are semites though. If I was to go by your logic then every article written in a negative context by the US or Israeli media regarding Arabs should also be deemed anti-semetic and hateful towards Arabs even if they were to say something like Saudi Arabian human rights abuse is on the rise.

    2.  Avatar

      Not everything that contradicts your beliefs is regarded as “antisemetic”. Unless he called Jews dogs or any other inappropriate word then labeling the article as “antisemetic” is uncalled for. Most Jews are not even Semites but Jews by religion. Most Arabs are semites though. If I was to go by your logic then every article written in a negative context by the US or Israeli media regarding Arabs should also be deemed anti-semetic and hateful towards Arabs even if they were to say something like Saudi Arabian human rights abuse is on the rise.

      1. Oh I don’t label everything that I disagree with as antisemitic, just things that are antisemitic.

        1.  Avatar

          Indeed … right on Adam. AND My Goodness, there are even people who hate Jesuits on here. !! 🙂

    3.  Avatar

      Antisemitism in the 20th Century: I hate Jews, Hitler should have killed them all.

      Antisemitism in the 21st Century: I dont support the state of Israel.

      Just wondering is this how antisemitism works now? Because Obama was called an Anti-Semite by the Jews in America, because he supported a two state solution. 

      1. Antisemitism is different to Jew hatred. Jew hatred is hating us for what we are. ‘Antisemtism’ is based on either outright lies, false information, ignorance or extreme exaggerations of the truth. One does not need to be a Jew hater to be an antisemite and vice versa. The only way that one can be against the existence of Israel without being either ignorant, prejudiced or ill-informed is to be an anarchist.

  11. Adam Yonatan Ben Yoel Avatar
    Adam Yonatan Ben Yoel

    And finally, Israel controls 58% of the West Bank directly under military rule. Israel controls East Jerusalem as part of Israel proper. Another x% is Area B which is under joint control. A UN vote isn’t going to magically change this.

  12. And finally, Israel controls 58% of the West Bank directly under military rule. Israel controls East Jerusalem as part of Israel proper. Another x% is Area B which is under joint control. A UN vote isn’t going to magically change this.

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