Palestinians must pursue UN membership
It is a shame that the Nato summit, now underway inWales, will not address the Palestinian- Israeli conflict
It is high time for Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian President, to stand up and be counted — now that all the mediatory attempts by the US have failed to yield any tangible results for a Palestinian- Israeli peace settlement. More so, since it is unlikely now that the Obama administration will carry a whip and guide the Palestinian or Israeli negotiators to agree to a reasonable and fair settlement at a time when theUS is in themidst of a crucial congressional election in which Obama’s Democratic Party could lose control of the Senate, a powerful legislative body.
The Obama administration is seen in US as hardly effective in its foreign policy, especially in the Arabworld, where a threatening sectarian upheaval is raging, as well as the Ukrainian conflict, where Russia is playing a leading role. Furthermore, the influential pro- Israel lobby, known as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, is expected to support candidates of the Republican Party where Israel has more supporters than among the Democrats. In fact, the lukewarm relationship between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Barack Obama is another factor thatmay tip the balance against the Democrats.
This is one good reason why the Palestinian leadership should pursue its efforts to obtain membership of the United Nations directlyandimmediately, butnotnecessarilywithUSsupport, which obviously is not supportive of this approach yet. In this respect, the Palestinians should expect full support fromthe 22- member Arab League aswell asMuslimcountries elsewhere. In fact, it should not come as a surprise ifmany European countries also jump on to the bandwagon since many Europeans were aghast by Israel’s massacres in the besieged Gaza Strip recently.
The Palestinians should not be fearful of failure in applying for membership of the UN Security Council, a step they are entitled to undertake since they are now a “non- state member”. Nabeel Shaath, a former Palestinian foreign minister, said Palestinians could approach the International Criminal Courtwith a request to hold Israeli leaders accountable for war crimes during their invasionofGaza. It is a shame that theNatosummit, nowunderway in Wales, will not address the Palestinian- Israeli conflict, considering that Israel has remainedinthe occupiedWest Bank land since 1967. It has also not offered any sign yet that it is willing to withdrawfromthis region, with more than 500,000 Israelis nowliving in illegal colonies. Adding insult to injury, Israel this week took a shocking step, claiming nearly 1,000 acres of occupiedWest Bank near Bethlehem to construct its biggest illegal colony in the region in 30 years. US reaction to this stepwas to issue ameek rebuke.
Seven- weekwar
Yariv Oppenheimer, general director of Peace Now, an Israeli group that opposes Israeli colony activities, said that instead of strengthening the Palestinian moderates, Netanyahu “turns his back on the Palestinian National Authority and sticks a political knife in the back”. He told Israel Radio: “Since the 1980s, we don’t remember a declaration of such dimensions.” Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu recalled in an article in the liberal Israeli newspaper, that Nelson Mandela had once said that South Africans would not feel free until Palestinians were free. A Palestinian armed group affiliatedwith the Palestine LiberationOrganisation, known as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, called for national unity in downtown Gaza City this week. It explained that results of the seven- weekwarwith Israel should pave theway for “national unity,” based on partnership.
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