Abbas Proceeds With Palestinian UN Bid, Despite US-Israeli Pressure to Alter Application Text

Abbas Arrives In New York, US Slams France For Supporting P.A Bid

Wednesday November 28, 2012 08:23 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Palestinian factions express support to UN bid.

Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, arrived in New York accompanied by several senior Palestinian officials, in order to officially submit the Palestinian application for a nonmember state status at the United Nations General Assembly.

Palestinian sources reported that Abbas received a phone call from the deputy British Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, informing him that he supports the Palestinian bid. Clegg phoned Abbas as he landed in Ireland while on his way to New York.

It is worth mentioning that Clegg demanded the Conservative Party and its, head David Cameron, and all coalition partners to unconditionally support the Palestinian bid.

On its part the United States reiterated its rejection of the Palestinian bid, and denounced the decision of France to support the Palestinian move.

Britain and Spain said that they are still weighing the official stance, but Britain proposed supporting the move should the Palestinians vow not to sue Israel at the International Criminal Court.

Meanwhile, Palestinian observer at the United Nations, Riyadh Mansur, stated that the Palestinian Authority will be willing to resume peace talks with Israel directly after the UN vote should Tel Aviv completely stop its settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The UN meetings will last for two days, and will discuss the two-state solution and the latest developments in occupied Palestine.

Several Israel and international political analysts said that said that it seems that The Palestinian leadership managed to garner a victory this time as most of the General Assembly members will likely support the Palestinian bid far away from the U.S. Veto that Washington Frequently used at the Security Council to topple decisions that were considered “harmful” to Israel.

Meanwhile in Gaza, national and Islamic Palestinian factions held a meeting in Gaza City, and decided to conduct a unified procession expressing support to the Palestinian bid.

Waleed Al-Awad, member of the Political Bureau of the leftist Palestinian People Party, told the Maan News Agency that the procession will start from the Unknown Soldier Square in Gaza heading towards the UN building in Gaza to hand the UN a memorandum expressing the support of the Palestinian factions to the Palestinian nonmember state status application.

France To Support Palestine At The UN

Wednesday November 28, 2012 07:44 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli sources reported on Tuesday evening that France confirmed that it will support the Palestinian bid at the United Nations General Assembly during the Thursday vote for observer state status.

France said that it supports the legitimate Palestinian demands, and will stand by the Palestinian people and their leadership.

On its part, Israel claimed that, by heading to the United Nations, Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, is foiling all efforts to “resume peace talks”.

Israel even threatened to increase the construction and expansion of its illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, including in occupied East Jerusalem, and said that it will foil the transfer of any foreign aid to the P.A.

The United States reiterated its stance supporting the Israeli position, and said that resuming the peace process is the only means to end the conflict.

The P.A. said that the UN bid is not meant to replace peace talks with Tel Aviv, but is a step towards achieving international recognition of the legitimate Palestinian rights of statehood and independence.

Meanwhile, Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported that the Israeli cabinet came to a realization that the Palestinians will not change their minds, and that the UN move is unavoidable, adding that “Israel is about to suffer a humiliating and painful diplomatic failure”.

Israel realized that more and more countries are expressing support to the Palestinian bid especially after Britain, and despite its previous stance against the UN bid, is now expressing certain support to the move under the condition that the Palestinians refrain from filing charges against Israel at the International Criminal Court.

The vote will likely pass as around two-thirds of the 193 member states are sympathetic with the Palestinian cause, especially when taking into considerations that the General Assembly vote, is different that Security Council votes where the United States uses it veto power to topple any resolution that is deemed to be meant “to harm Israel”.

Despite U.S.-Israeli Pressure; P.A. Refuses To Alter Text Of UN Application

Tuesday November 27, 2012 18:22 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Despite enormous pressures practiced by the United States and Israel, and all threats impose heavy financial sanctions besides the sanctions that are already in place, the Palestinian Authority (P.A.) in the West Bank said that it will not void or alter the text of its UN application that will be voted on at the General Assembly this Thursday.

Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported that, after failing to convince President Mahmoud Abbas not to file the Palestinian bid, Tel Aviv and Washington conducted various attempts to convince the Palestinians to alter the text of their bid in order to ensure that, in the future, the Palestinians will never be able to head to the International Criminal Court to sue Israel for war crimes against the Palestinian people.

The Palestinian side even went ahead and distributed, on Tuesday morning, the final draft of the application that will be filed to the UN asking the International Community to recognize Palestine as a nonmember state at the United Nations, and to grant it an “Observer State” status.

The U.S. and Israel tried to add two sections to the Palestinian bid, hoping to be able to change it so that the Palestinians can never sue Israel for its crimes, and can never have real sovereignty in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and occupied East Jerusalem under any future peace agreement.

But the P.A. remained determined on its stance, and told Tel Aviv and Washington that the Palestinians, as any other nation in this world, have the right to be represented among the International Community, and have the right to enjoy the legal status enjoyed by all independent nations.

An Israeli official, directly involved in the issue, claimed that the United States did not exert enough pressure on the P.A. an issue that enabled the Palestinians to remain determined to go ahead with their application.

Both the U.S. and Tel Aviv imposed harsh financial sanctions on the P.A. after it received a full member status at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and other UN organizations, and claimed that the Palestinian applications are “unilateral moves that obstruct the efforts to achieve a final status peace agreement in the Middle East”.

The P.A repeatedly said that heading to the United Nations is not meant at isolating Israel, or to replace the peace process, and added that Israel’s ongoing violations, including invasions, attacks, assassinations, and the illegal construction and expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied territories, including in and around occupied East Jerusalem, in addition to the demolition and takeover of Arab homes, especially in Jerusalem, indicate the Israel is not really interested in a just and comprehensive peace deal with the Palestinians.

Israel Is Seeking A Modified Palestinian UN Draft

Monday November 26, 2012 23:13 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, decided to shift the Israeli policy and stance regarding the UN Thursday vote on the Palestinian nonmember status, and is currently tying to tone down and trim the Palestinian application to alter some of it context.

Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported that Tel Aviv is holding extensive talks with Washington in an attempt to reach a different draft of the application that is more toned down, and would not cause political embarrassment to Israel.

On Sunday, Netanyahu sent his envoy, Yitzhak Molcho, to the United States to hold talks on the issue.

The new Israeli stance is different than its openly declared rejection to any talks on the issue, and for even allowing the Palestinians to submit the application.

Israeli officials held extensive talks with leaders of the U.S. and the European Union in order to pressure Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, into changing his mind and refrain from filing the application.

But American officials told Netanyahu and his advisers that Abbas is determined to file the UN bid, therefore, the U.S. now prefers to hold talks on the wording of the application in order to reduce political harm to Tel Aviv.

Netanyahu decided to join the American stance and is trying to add certain terminologies and sentences, including a clear Palestinian approval to refraining from heading to the International Criminal Court to sue Israel for its crimes.

He is also trying to change the nature of any UN resolution regarding the Palestinian bid in order to prevent it from granting the Palestinians any sovereignty on Jerusalem or the entire West Bank, in addition to pushing the Palestinians into resuming peace talks with Tel Aviv.

Haaretz said that, at the current stage, Israel intends to continue to freeze the transfer of all Palestinian tax money, and wants the U.S to implement the Congress decision of last year regarding the freeze of funds to the P.A.

Israel also said that it intends to announce new bids for the construction of hundreds of units in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including “legalizing” some existing illegal settlement outposts.

The Palestinian leadership in the West Bank had to quit direct peace talks with Israel due to its ongoing violations and attacks against the Palestinian people, and due to Israel’s ongoing illegal settlement construction and expansion activities in the occupied West Bank, including in and around occupied East Jerusalem.

The leadership repeatedly announced that heading to the UN is not aimed at isolating Israel, as these moves are meant at boosting the internationally-guaranteed rights of the Palestinian people based on all related United Nations and Security Council resolutions that Israel never accepted and implemented due to heaving political and financial baking by the United States.