Tuesday, 13 September 2011
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is expected to submit a formal request for the United Nations to accept Palestine as its 194th member when the General Assembly opens on Sept. 20. (Photo by Reuters)
US President Barack Obama said that a Palestinian bid for recognition next week at the United Nations was a “distraction” and would not result in viable statehood, as Arab foreign ministers agreed to marshal support for the Palestinians at the U.N.
In a roundtable with Hispanic journalists, Obama on Monday said that Israel would “hurt itself” if it retaliated to any such action by withdrawing resources that in any way harmed Palestinian self-policing efforts.
The United States has already threatened to veto any bid for full recognition by the Palestinians in the U.N. Security Council, a step that is expected at the U.N. General Assembly next week in New York.
In a roundtable with Hispanic journalists, Obama on Monday said that Israel would “hurt itself” if it retaliated to any such action by withdrawing resources that in any way harmed Palestinian self-policing efforts.
The United States has already threatened to veto any bid for full recognition by the Palestinians in the U.N. Security Council, a step that is expected at the U.N. General Assembly next week in New York.
Obama said the Palestinian tactics were “a distraction” and did not solve the problem of statehood.
“This issue is only going to be resolved by Israelis and Palestinians agreeing on something,” he said.
“What happens in New York City can occupy a lot of press attention but is not going to change actually what is happening on the ground until the Israelis and Palestinians sit down,” Obama said.
“This issue is only going to be resolved by Israelis and Palestinians agreeing on something,” he said.
“What happens in New York City can occupy a lot of press attention but is not going to change actually what is happening on the ground until the Israelis and Palestinians sit down,” Obama said.
Most likely scenario
The president said that he believed the most likely scenario was for the Palestinians to seek to upgrade their representation from current observer status to non-member state in the UNGA.
“We are only one vote in the General Assembly. Clearly there are a lot of countries ready to go with the Palestinians -- depending on the resolution,” he said.
“That’s very different than going to the Security Council and it's true that I have said very publicly that if this were to come to the Security Council we would object very strongly.”
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is expected to submit a formal request for the United Nations to accept Palestine as its 194th member when the General Assembly opens on Sept. 20.
Obama also warned that if Israel retaliated to a Palestinian bid for recognition in a way that harmed Palestinian financing for self-policing “that would only hurt Israel, not help Israel.”
The United States has said it will work up to the last moment to avoid a Palestinian statehood bid.
The Palestinians have vowed to not resume talks while Israel builds in annexed Arab east Jerusalem and the rest of the occupied West Bank.
But the United States says direct talks, and not an independent state bid by the Palestinians, are the correct way to secure statehood.
“We are only one vote in the General Assembly. Clearly there are a lot of countries ready to go with the Palestinians -- depending on the resolution,” he said.
“That’s very different than going to the Security Council and it's true that I have said very publicly that if this were to come to the Security Council we would object very strongly.”
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas is expected to submit a formal request for the United Nations to accept Palestine as its 194th member when the General Assembly opens on Sept. 20.
Obama also warned that if Israel retaliated to a Palestinian bid for recognition in a way that harmed Palestinian financing for self-policing “that would only hurt Israel, not help Israel.”
The United States has said it will work up to the last moment to avoid a Palestinian statehood bid.
The Palestinians have vowed to not resume talks while Israel builds in annexed Arab east Jerusalem and the rest of the occupied West Bank.
But the United States says direct talks, and not an independent state bid by the Palestinians, are the correct way to secure statehood.
Arab support
Meanwhile on Monday, Arab foreign ministers agreed in a meeting attended by Abbas to marshal support for the Palestinian bid for U.N. membership despite Israeli and US opposition.
Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said in a press conference after the meeting that "consultations and communications will continue in order to reach the goal" of Palestinian U.N. membership.
Before the meeting, Abbas had meet EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Cairo, where Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- a fervent supporter of the Palestinian cause -- arrived Monday night to begin an “Arab Spring” tour.
Ashton attended part of the meeting, to inform the ministers of the Arab League’s Follow Up Committee on the Middle East peace process of the EU’s position on the Palestinian bid.
Egypt’s official news agency, the Arabic language MENA, reported that Ashton, on leaving the meeting, said the EU supported a Palestinian state achieved through “negotiations.”
Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian negotiator, said at the joint press conference with Arabi that U.N. membership would not preclude negotiations with Israel, blaming Israel's settlement construction for the stalled talks.
“On the contrary (U.N. membership) lays the foundation for the principle of two states,” Erekat said.
He added that a task force set up in a previous Arab ministerial meeting headed by Qatar and including Egypt, Jordan and several other countries would work constantly to lobby international support for U.N. membership.
If that happens the Palestinians say they will turn to the General Assembly, where they expect to easily win votes to upgrade their representation from current observer status to non-member state.
Abbas told a Jordanian newspaper the Palestinians would bid for U.N. membership “despite the obstacles and dangers, including U.S. threats to halt 470 million dollars in annual assistance.”
Shaath told Egyptian television the Palestinians expect to garner “more than 160 votes” at the General Assembly and “will continue to knock on the door until we get (full) membership.”
Under U.N. rules, any bid for full membership requires a recommendation from the Security Council and then a two-thirds majority in the 193-member General Assembly.
Non-member status would require only a straight majority in the General Assembly where no veto is possible.
Abbas has already received hefty support Friday from U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon, who said Palestinian statehood was “long overdue.” He received Russia’s backing on Monday.
“We will, of course, be voting for any of the Palestinians’ proposals,” Russia’s U.N. envoy Vitaly Churkin was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.
“But I must say that we are not pushing them into it. We are saying that ‘Whatever you decide to do, we will support you’,” Churkin said.
Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said in a press conference after the meeting that "consultations and communications will continue in order to reach the goal" of Palestinian U.N. membership.
Before the meeting, Abbas had meet EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Cairo, where Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- a fervent supporter of the Palestinian cause -- arrived Monday night to begin an “Arab Spring” tour.
Ashton attended part of the meeting, to inform the ministers of the Arab League’s Follow Up Committee on the Middle East peace process of the EU’s position on the Palestinian bid.
Egypt’s official news agency, the Arabic language MENA, reported that Ashton, on leaving the meeting, said the EU supported a Palestinian state achieved through “negotiations.”
Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian negotiator, said at the joint press conference with Arabi that U.N. membership would not preclude negotiations with Israel, blaming Israel's settlement construction for the stalled talks.
“On the contrary (U.N. membership) lays the foundation for the principle of two states,” Erekat said.
He added that a task force set up in a previous Arab ministerial meeting headed by Qatar and including Egypt, Jordan and several other countries would work constantly to lobby international support for U.N. membership.
If that happens the Palestinians say they will turn to the General Assembly, where they expect to easily win votes to upgrade their representation from current observer status to non-member state.
Abbas told a Jordanian newspaper the Palestinians would bid for U.N. membership “despite the obstacles and dangers, including U.S. threats to halt 470 million dollars in annual assistance.”
Shaath told Egyptian television the Palestinians expect to garner “more than 160 votes” at the General Assembly and “will continue to knock on the door until we get (full) membership.”
Under U.N. rules, any bid for full membership requires a recommendation from the Security Council and then a two-thirds majority in the 193-member General Assembly.
Non-member status would require only a straight majority in the General Assembly where no veto is possible.
Abbas has already received hefty support Friday from U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon, who said Palestinian statehood was “long overdue.” He received Russia’s backing on Monday.
“We will, of course, be voting for any of the Palestinians’ proposals,” Russia’s U.N. envoy Vitaly Churkin was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.
“But I must say that we are not pushing them into it. We are saying that ‘Whatever you decide to do, we will support you’,” Churkin said.
Divided Europe
With Israel and the United States staunchly resisting the Palestinian plan, Europe remains divided.
“What we’re very clear about from the European Union is that the way forward is negotiations,” Ashton told reporters after meeting Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr.
Ashton, who will head to Israel after the meeting, said the EU wanted to see “the people of Palestine and the people of Israel living side by side in peace and security.”
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, meanwhile, urged Abbas to tread carefully in his U.N. bid, warning that such a strategy could ultimately harm peace efforts, a statement from his office said.
Erdogan, a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, will on Tuesday will address an expanded Arab League ministerial meeting and meet Egyptian officials.
Erdogan will also visit Tunisia and Libya, where popular uprisings such as that in Egypt have toppled longstanding autocratic regimes. He is working to forge stronger ties with Arab nations as Ankara’s relations with Israel sour.
Turkey has expelled the Israeli ambassador over the storming by Israeli naval commandos last year of a convoy of ships trying to reach Gaza in defiance of the blockade, killing nine Turks.
Egypt’s relations with Israel chilled further after protesters ransacked the Jewish state’s embassy in Cairo overnight Friday, forcing the ambassador to flee in the worst incident since the two countries signed a 1979 peace treaty.
Ties have been strained since the killing of six Egyptian policemen on their common border last month as Israel hunted militants after a deadly attack.
“What we’re very clear about from the European Union is that the way forward is negotiations,” Ashton told reporters after meeting Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr.
Ashton, who will head to Israel after the meeting, said the EU wanted to see “the people of Palestine and the people of Israel living side by side in peace and security.”
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, meanwhile, urged Abbas to tread carefully in his U.N. bid, warning that such a strategy could ultimately harm peace efforts, a statement from his office said.
Erdogan, a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, will on Tuesday will address an expanded Arab League ministerial meeting and meet Egyptian officials.
Erdogan will also visit Tunisia and Libya, where popular uprisings such as that in Egypt have toppled longstanding autocratic regimes. He is working to forge stronger ties with Arab nations as Ankara’s relations with Israel sour.
Turkey has expelled the Israeli ambassador over the storming by Israeli naval commandos last year of a convoy of ships trying to reach Gaza in defiance of the blockade, killing nine Turks.
Egypt’s relations with Israel chilled further after protesters ransacked the Jewish state’s embassy in Cairo overnight Friday, forcing the ambassador to flee in the worst incident since the two countries signed a 1979 peace treaty.
Ties have been strained since the killing of six Egyptian policemen on their common border last month as Israel hunted militants after a deadly attack.
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