UN to vote on Palestine’s upgraded status

NEW YORK, TEL AVIV The UN General Assembly will on Thursday vote to raise the Palestinians' status from a UN observer to a nonmember observer state. The voting will take place just a week after a cease-fire ended eight days of punishing Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and intense rocketing of the Jewish state by Gaza's Hamas rulers that reached Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. UN to vote on Palestine’s upgraded status Today also marks a day when then Palestine was partitioned into two states – a Jewish and an Arabic one by the majority of votes in the UN General Assembly in 1947. The 193-member world body is dominated by countries sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and the resolution only requires a majority vote for approval. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said this is the last chance for peace and announced that Palestinians will return to the negotiations as soon as their statehood is recognized. Palestinians are especially encouraged by the announced support of France and Russia, China, Spain, Denmark, Austria, Norway, Switzerland and India also say they will back their request. Israel, the U.S. and Canada strongly oppose the resolution. Germany will vote against it or abstain from voting, just like the Netherlands, Great Britain and Australia. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has assessed that the recognition of the Palestinian statehood in the UN will not contribute to Palestinians’ goal to have their own country. He said that Palestinians would not have their own state until they recognized Israel as Jews’ homeland, declare end of conflicts with the Jewish state and accept security arrangements aimed at protecting Israel. However, Palestinians are certain their status will be upgraded and that it will be similar to that of the Vatican in the UNGA. The change would not bring them a right to vote but it will allow them to join bodies such as the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which is in charge of cases of genocide, war crimes and other violations of human rights. This would allow Palestine to file charges against Israel. The U.S. and Israel are strongly opposed to the change of Palestine’s status and believe that the Palestinian statehood should be a result of negotiations. However, the negotiations between the two parties stalled in late September 2010. 132 countries have so far recognized the Palestinian state, which is two thirds of the UN member states, AP has reported. Palestinians fear diplomatic and financial retaliation, bearing in mind that the U.S. denied funds to UNESCO and the Palestinian administration after Palestine was admitted into UNESCO last year. The U.S. Congress now threatens with similar sanctions. Israel has announced it will speed up the expansion of Jewish settlements which is an obstacle to the continuation of the negotiations. The Jewish state has, according to Israeli media, realized that the Palestinian move in the UN is unavoidable and that it represents a “humiliating and painful defeat”. Netanyahu and Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman are trying to present the UN vote as a technical-procedural vote or a “symbolical Palestinian victory”. Jerusalem-based daily Jerusalem Post has reported that the Palestinians will try to fix a historic mistake the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. According to the daily, they missed their chance to accept the UN plan on Palestine’s partition and to have their own state 65 years ago and waged a war against Israel instead. (Beta/AP) Tanjug

UN to vote on Palestine’s upgraded status

Today also marks a day when then Palestine was partitioned into two states – a Jewish and an Arabic one by the majority of votes in the UN General Assembly in 1947.

The 193-member world body is dominated by countries sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and the resolution only requires a majority vote for approval.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said this is the last chance for peace and announced that Palestinians will return to the negotiations as soon as their statehood is recognized.

Palestinians are especially encouraged by the announced support of France and Russia, China, Spain, Denmark, Austria, Norway, Switzerland and India also say they will back their request.

Israel, the U.S. and Canada strongly oppose the resolution. Germany will vote against it or abstain from voting, just like the Netherlands, Great Britain and Australia.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has assessed that the recognition of the Palestinian statehood in the UN will not contribute to Palestinians’ goal to have their own country.

He said that Palestinians would not have their own state until they recognized Israel as Jews’ homeland, declare end of conflicts with the Jewish state and accept security arrangements aimed at protecting Israel.

However, Palestinians are certain their status will be upgraded and that it will be similar to that of the Vatican in the UNGA. The change would not bring them a right to vote but it will allow them to join bodies such as the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which is in charge of cases of genocide, war crimes and other violations of human rights. This would allow Palestine to file charges against Israel.

The U.S. and Israel are strongly opposed to the change of Palestine’s status and believe that the Palestinian statehood should be a result of negotiations. However, the negotiations between the two parties stalled in late September 2010.

132 countries have so far recognized the Palestinian state, which is two thirds of the UN member states, AP has reported.

Palestinians fear diplomatic and financial retaliation, bearing in mind that the U.S. denied funds to UNESCO and the Palestinian administration after Palestine was admitted into UNESCO last year.

The U.S. Congress now threatens with similar sanctions. Israel has announced it will speed up the expansion of Jewish settlements which is an obstacle to the continuation of the negotiations.

The Jewish state has, according to Israeli media, realized that the Palestinian move in the UN is unavoidable and that it represents a “humiliating and painful defeat”.

Netanyahu and Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman are trying to present the UN vote as a technical-procedural vote or a “symbolical Palestinian victory”.

Jerusalem-based daily Jerusalem Post has reported that the Palestinians will try to fix a historic mistake the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. According to the daily, they missed their chance to accept the UN plan on Palestine’s partition and to have their own state 65 years ago and waged a war against Israel instead.