Palestine bid for UN membership-a damp squib? - Atasi Das

Palestine has been trying hard to whip up international support for its membership bid at the UN Security Council. The United States is all set to veto the Palestinian motion, which is indicative of the international political equations of America in the Middle East. Geopolitical interests have ensured a fair amount of meddling from the international bigwigs in the political process in the region. Russia, China, India, South Africa, Brazil, Lebanon, Nigeria and Gabon are some of the countries which have extended support for the Palestinian statehood bid. Iran has ruled out its support to any plan which seeks to divide Palestine, as it is tantamount to a covert acceptance of the “Zionist regime on Palestinian land”. Washington foresees that any proposal for a Palestinian state can only emerge from direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine. The US justifies its support to Israel on the ground that unilaterally granting statehood to Palestine without consulting Israel would only further jeopardize the Middle East peace process. Saudi Arabia in direct confrontation of the US stance has thrown in its full support behind Palestine, and called for key reforms in the U.N. system, questioning the veto option used by the economic super powers. The Saudi snub for America comes at a time when other long standing Muslim allies like Egypt and Turkey have drifted away from the US. Turkey has questioned the abhorrence for international sanctions on Israel, when similar restrictions have often been imposed on Iran and Sudan.

The latest bone of contention between Palestine and Israel has been Israel’s reported new settlement construction is the disputed territory of Gilo. Palestine currently has observer status at the UN. Any UN Security Council decision on membership needs the support of atleast nine of its fifteen members, and no vetoes from the five permanent members.

The Quartet of US, UN, European Union and Russia are currently facilitating the Middle East peace process for a time bound solution. However, analysts have ruled out the attainment of any quick fix solution on the Palestinian statehood issue. The Security Council’s deliberations itself could drag on for months. Some feel pragmatically the stress for the moment should be on issues like full citizenship, right to vote, and full mobility for both the Palestinians and the Israelis to live and work. The general notion amongst the Israelis is that a single-state resolution would mark the end of Israel as a Jewish state. They are also challenged by the demographic trend of a growing Palestinian population. Palestinians are apprehensive that a single state solution will legitimize the occupation by Israel.

The United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine adopted on 29 November 1947 had recommended the partition of Palestine into two states, one for the Jewish community and the other for the Arabs-the Jerusalem-Bethlehem area was to be under special international protection, administered by the United Nations. The resolution had also designed a plan for an economic union between the proposed states, with proper safeguards for the protection of religious and minority rights. However, the Arab–Israeli War broke out and the partition plan was never implemented by the Security Council. Mahmoud Abbas’s political stake in Palestine has grown manifold on the back of the popular support for his statehood bid at the UN.

There has been wide scale apprehension that any negotiation, which is not based on 1967 borders and does not ensure a settlement freeze in the West Bank, will further disrupt the peace process. Whether the two state solution on the basis of the 1967 borders will lead to the birth of an independent Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital remains to be seen, but what is interesting is that as the political conundrum continues President Abbas can claim victory in successfully mobilizing international political support for Palestine against the political hegemony of US via Israel. But any plausible peace solution in future demands a much toned down approach from both Netanyahu and Mahmoud Abbas. The post meltdown era has offered considerable leveraging power to the emerging economies in international politics, and it is interesting to see the way in which the global superpowers are taking sides in shaping the destiny of the Middle East process. However the Israeli ambassador to the UN, Mr.Ron Prosor has rightfully summed up that recognition of statehood is a meaningless process without a peace agreement between the warring factions.