Palestinian Statehood Will Be Revisted in the UN

When the United Nations General Assembly resumes in September, they will once again be faced with the Palestinian statehood issue. Last year the United States opposed Palestine’s application for membership and threatened to veto permanent membership of the UN Security Council. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority has indicated their intention to return to this issue during the upcoming session in New York. The Palestinians have said that, even if the United States continues to block their full membership, they will seek whatever level of U.N. participation they can achieve. They likely will work through the General Assembly. This would not be good because the United States cannot stop them here.

The United States and others in the international quartet of the European Union and the United Nations continue to pursue the goal of two states—Israel and Palestine—living next door to one another—in PEACE and both being recognized by the world. However, this can only be achieved through negotiations….together….not by side-stepping the issues and Palestine seeking whatever status they can achieve with the U.N.