PA to Discuss United Nations Bid Next Week

Friday August 03, 2012 14:47 by Craig Harrington - IMEMC & Agencies

The Palestinian Authority will discuss next week when to go forward with future bids for state recognition at the United Nations.

President Abbas' next speech before the UN General Assembly may be a petition for statehood recognition

On Thursday PLO spokesperson Saed Erekat said the Palestinian Authority will discuss next week when to move forward with state recognition at the United Nations, reports Ma’an News.

The decision to petition the UN General Assembly could be made as early as next Tuesday at a cabinet meeting in Ramallah. No official timetable has been set for when the issue would be brought to the floor of the United Nations but some rumors suggest it could be as early as September.

The biggest issue facing any bid for Palestinian statehood is not the lack of support; it is the entrenched opposition from influential parties.

If recognition were brought to the General Assembly the proposal could expect a strong majority of support from nations around the world. Unfortunately, Israeli opposition and American supplication of Israeli demands will certainly draw a veto from the United States at the UN Security Council. The guaranteed American veto does not prevent the United Nations from hearing the issue of Palestinian statehood, but it can limit Palestine’s participation in the world’s most prominent international organization.

In addition to the Israeli-American imposed limit on Palestinian participation at the UN, there is also the very serious threat of Israeli-American economic sanctions on the impoverished and occupied nation. Both countries have threatened to cut off significant amounts of aid and relief money if Palestine chooses to go forward with its plans, according to Haaretz. The United States has already back out of funding several international organizations in protest to their recognition of Palestine.

The issue of funding is perhaps the most ominous obstacle for the Palestinian Authority to overcome. Ramallah is already overwhelmed by fiscal crises, the loss of even more aid and relief money could devastate communities that rely on foreign grants for support.

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