Israel Matzav

Arab League statement seeks full UN membership for 'Palestinians'

The Arab League has decided to seek United Nations membership for the 'Palestinian Authority.' Sort of.

"It was decided to go to the United Nations to request the recognition of the state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital and to move ahead and request a full membership," said the communique, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters.

The statement did not provide a timeline indicating the application would be made in time for the UN assembly in September. A Palestinian delegate said the Arab League had appointed a committee to determine dates.

Full member status would require approval in the Security Council, where the United States had said it would veto any such resolution.

The Palestinians, who currently hold UN "observer" status, had previously pledged to seek UN endorsement in September for their claim of sovereignty in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

The Arab League formally backed this plan in May.

But in the face of opposition from Israel and some world powers, the Palestinians had previously signalled they might opt for a more limited upgrade to "non-member state" status, which requires only General Assembly approval.

Read the whole thing.

The article makes it sound like the decision to seek 'statehood' has not yet been taken, but Israel Radio reports (5:00 pm) that the decision was made to see 'statehood' for 'Palestine.' It has not yet been decided whether to seek membership status or non-member state status.

According to Israel Radio, recognition as a non-member state only requires majority approval in the General Assembly, where there are no vetoes. The 'Palestinians' say they already have 117 votes in the General Assembly (which is more than a majority), and there is still a possibility that the 'Palestinians' will go that way. They must decide by the end of the month.

Saeb Erekat prepared a position paper for the Arab League that expressed fear that going for the full membership in the UN may draw sanctions from the United States as well as an attempt to 'impose' a 'solution' that would include recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. But Congress could withdraw aid even if the 'Palestinians' decide to go for the non-member state status.

Labels: Palestinian state RIGHT NOW syndrome, UN General Assembly, unilateral declaration of statehood, United Nations Security Council

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:41 PM