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UN Upgrades Palestinian Status

November 30, 2012

The Palestinians have had their status upgraded at the United Nations to "non-member state."

Voting in favor of the Palestinian resolution at the UN General Assembly were 138 countries with nine voting against and 41 abstaining.

The move means indirect recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine, comprised of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem.

Before the vote, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas urged the UN to deliver the "birth certificate of Palestine."

Afterwards, the Palestinian representative to the UN Riyad Mansour called it a "historic day" after the vote.

"Today was a historic day, voting was a terrific voting, we had a large number: more than two-thirds of the membership of the United Nations voted with Palestine. The General Assembly legislated the recognition of the state of Palestine, and bestowing on it an observer state status, non-member observer state status," Mansour told reporters.

The Israeli UN Ambassador Ron Prosor reiterated the Jewish state wants peace with the Palestinians, but warned the vote would push those efforts "backward."

He said only bilateral talks could achieve peace.

"The only way to achieve peace is through agreements that are reached by the parties and not through the UN resolutions that completely ignore Israel's vital security and national interests. As because this resolution is so one-sided, it doesn't advance peace, it then pushes it backwards," Prosor told the General Assembly.

The U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, said the Palestinian resolution was "unfortunate and counterproductive," and put up more "obstacles" on the path to peace.

The upgrade means the Palestinians can join UN agencies, including the International Criminal Court where they could pursue action against Israel.

Alon Ben-Meir, a Middle East expert at New York University, told RFE/RL the vote could have a deep impact.

"It could change the dynamic, it will empower the Palestinian Authority, specifically in the way the configuration between Israel and Hamas is calculated, where Hamas has got a serious political boost, it will also present the Israelis in the new election in January with new facts on the ground, it will reengage the United States which has been pretty much absent from what's going on in the Middle East, and between the Israelis and the Palestinians in particular, and also, it will reengage the international community in a much more serious manner, where the EU also having now a much greater role than they have had in the past," Ben-Meir explained.

The vote sparked boisterous celebrations in the West Bank city of Ramallah, with people waving Palestinian flags, honking car horns and dancing.

Despite the celebrations, however, analysts say real independence remains an elusive dream for the Palestinians, one that can only be achieved through a peace deal with the Israelis.

Based on AP and Reuters reporting

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/united- nations-palestinians-/24785318.htmll

Copyright (c) 2012. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.