Palestinians take statehood bid to UN gates

Israel: The Palestinians will take their long march for statehood to the gates of the United Nations next week in a bid to have their state accepted as a full member in the world body.

The controversial diplomatic campaign, which was sparked by the collapse of peace talks with Israel late last year, is adamantly opposed by both Israel and the United States who say the only route to a Palestinian state is through bilateral negotiations.

The plan has also caused divisions in the Europe Union where many of the 27 member states are concerned about the legal implications of backing such a step.

But the Palestinians appear determined to push ahead with the move to secure UN membership for a state based on the lines that existed before the 1967 Six Day War, including Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is expected next week to present a membership request to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon who will pass it on to the 15-member Security Council for examination. Palestinian officials say they are not planning on unilaterally declaring a state as they did in Algiers in 1988, nor are they seeking UN recognition for their state, which has already been recognised by 127 countries.

Their aim is to be accepted into the United Nations as the 194th member state — a move the United States has vowed to veto in the Security Council.

The Palestinians say UN acceptance of their state will change the rules of engagement vis-a-vis peace talks with Israel, with the Jewish state being viewed as one UN member state occupying another.

But world powers seeking to avoid a head-on confrontation at the Security Council are pushing the Palestinians to instead approach the General Assembly with a draft resolution calling for their status to be upgraded from “observer” to “non-member state.” Jerusalem, Thursday, AFP