Palestine and the Dream of Statehood
Will the Palestinian dream finally come true? It has been months that the Palestinian Authority has been campaigning around the world to gain support for a UN bid to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state. The request, planned to be made at the United Nations in the September 2011 General Assembly, has so fair had the approval of more than 120 countries, but the disapproval of the ‘honest’ broker between Palestinians and Israel, that is, Washington.
Unless something extraordinary happens, the US will make another one its Israel-appeasing moves. The White House once again backs the argument that the Palestinians should settle their conflict with Israel before filing for statehood in the United Nations, and keeps repeating that their initiative will not bring about for Palestinians the outcome they desire. This, White House PR experts are trying to pretend, is for the Palestinians’ sake.
A sovereign state settled on the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital, has been a long cherished dream of the Palestinian nation, for which they have paid a heavy price. In fact, joining the UN as an official, full member provides them with a legal platform to protect themselves against Israel and its hectoring attitude.
At first, two options are out there for Palestinians: securing a UN Security Council approval, which is technically mandatory for their full membership in the UN, but demands favorable or abstention votes from the five veto-wielding members of the Council; or a two-thirds majority vote from the General Assembly, which is a necessary, but not adequate, condition. Apparently, the GA lacks the UNSC’s stature-- nevertheless, this could be a chance to increase pressure on the US and other frowning countries to give their blessing to the proposal. The Palestinians already have the support of the Arab League, Moscow and many of the developing countries: pros outnumber the cons, but the big league members of the UNSC (from the EU, and the US of course) are still there to be convinced.
UNGA approval means partial legitimacy for Palestinians –and partial de-legitimization of Israel on the other hand. Not actually a fresh initiative, joining the UN club as an official member –part of the campaign to upgrade their international profile- has long been on Palestinian politicians’ agenda. But efforts in that direction were stalled for nearly half a decade after internal differences between the ruling factions of Hamas (in Gaza) and Fatah (in the West Bank) effectively decelerated the process of mustering international credit and diplomatic strength.
For long, a weak Palestinian Authority with Mahmoud Abbas only having nominal control over parts of Palestinian territory, served as a brilliantly written scenario for Israel. But the Arab Spring ushered in a dramatic turn of events that did not immunize Palestine from its aftershock. In both Gaza and Ramallah, Palestinian citizens demonstrated, calling for unity between the two key factions of Hamas and Fatah. Their voices, a mix of hope and anger, set in motion reconciliation talks that have changed the prospect of Palestinian politics like none seen in recent years, and bringing the mettle to the otherwise meek Mahmoud Abbas to file a request for recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state. Now, even Saudi Arabia, arguably the most powerful country of the Arab world at the moment and enjoying preferential relations with the US, voices support for Abbas’ plan-- Turki al Faisal published an op-ed in the Washington Post in July (using an exceptionally serious tone) to warn the United States that that rejecting the PA’s proposal may harm Riyadh-Washington relations. Confidence has now returned; not only to the Palestinians, but to other Arab countries, trying to overcome their notorious disunity and dispersion.