Sunday, June 12, 2011

Will Palestine Be the Newest UN Member? What Is Our Role?

End the Israeli Occupation, June 8th, 2011

This September, Palestinians are expected to push for the State of Palestine to become a full member of the United Nations and to get additional countries to recognize Palestinian statehood.

Will this important diplomatic initiative succeed?

  It probably won’t if the United States wields its veto in the Security Council to block Palestine’s application for UN membership. Given the Obama Administration’s track record of shielding Israel from accountability, there’s every reason to believe that the United States will once again try to thwart Palestinian rights.

Just last month at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference, President Barack Obama declared:

“No vote at the United Nations will ever create an independent Palestinian state… the United States will stand up against efforts to single Israel out at the United Nations… Israel’s legitimacy is not a matter for debate.”

By equating Palestinian efforts to seek their long-denied rights at the UN with the “delegitimization” of Israel, President Obama is subjecting Palestinian freedom to Israel’s timetable.

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