The Obviously False Objections to Palestinian Statehood at U.N.
Harry Siegman has a brilliant takedown at the National Interest of U.S.-Israeli objections to a September bid for Palestinian statehood at the U.N. I wrote a bit about the false arguments against Palestinian statehood last month. As I did, Siegman explodes the rationale that the U.N. is not the right venue for unilateral bids for state recognition. Not only is that, in part, explicitly the purpose of the U.N. – to help end colonialism and give rise to independence for indigenous nationalist movements – but it is also precisely the route taken to secure Israeli statehood. So either the U.S. and Israel admit that different rules apply to them than apply to the rest of the world, or they drop this phony argument.
But Siegman astutely goes much further. First, there is the falsehood that a unilateral attempt to get U.N. recognition represents a stubborn abandonment of the so-called “peace process.” This falls flat on its face. As I’ve highlighted before, the peace process is futile and the deck is inherently stacked against Palestinians. As Siegman writes, “So far, this ‘peace process’ has enabled the transfer of over half a million Jews from Israel into Palestinian territory and East Jerusalem, but not one square inch of Palestinian sovereignty.”
And then, more fundamentally:
The United States and Israel have warned Palestinians to abandon their UN initiative on prudential grounds as well, for even if they were to succeed in obtaining UN recognition of their right to statehood in the Occupied Territories, nothing would change on the ground, for Israel’s government would be as indifferent to such a UN declaration as it has been to countless other UN directives. Indeed, Israel’s foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, has threatened that in those circumstances Israel would feel free to annex far more West Bank territory than it already has.
But if were true that UN action would have no effect whatever in advancing the Palestinian cause, except perhaps to spur an even greater Israeli land grab, why is Israel engaged in such frantic efforts to prevent a UN showdown? Indeed, why does it not welcome the Palestinian initiative?
The answer is that what the Netanyahu/Lieberman government fears most is an international confirmation that the 1967 border is the point of reference for Israeli Palestinian territorial negotiations, for despite Prime Minister Netanyahu’s alleged acceptance of a two-state solution, he remains as committed to the retention of most if not all of the West Bank as are most other members of his government, most of whom belong to the “Whole Land of Israel Caucus” in Israel’s Knesset. (Imagine what would have been the U.S. reaction to a Palestinian parliamentary caucus for the retention of the “Whole Land of Palestine.”)
And there we have it. The fundamental objection to Palestine seeking statehood at the U.N. is that it is actually constructive for Palestinians to do so. Israel has had virtually full reign to gradually encroach upon Palestinian sovereignty for decades, but a U.N. recognition of the 1967 borders seriously limits Israel’s ability to ignore that basic assumption of this conflict. Hopefully, they’ll only be able to keep it up for another month or so.
TheDailySketch
August 11th, 2011 at 12:24 am
This is an Israeli double bluff. They actually will be willing to accept the 1967 borders, for now. But what it does mean is that, through violence and aggression, they have robbed land: because the arrangement was for for differenrt borders in 1948. So they have gained land through war. Palestinians should never accept 1967 borders but stick to the original international agreement for the 1948 borders.
Joe Maizilsh
August 11th, 2011 at 1:40 pm
A possible additional reason the U.S.-Israel may have for objecting to this Palestinian initiative is that it is a Palestinian INITIATIVE — something the Palestinian side is doing without first having received permission.
Orville H. Larson
August 11th, 2011 at 1:57 pm
The Palestinians are entitled to statehood. Israel's criminal oppression of the Palestinians–backed up, of course, by the U.S.–is a colossal disgrace.
NuttyYahoo and Avigdor Lieberman are Likud lunatics.
Israel Approves 4,300 New Homes in East Jerusalem -- News from Antiwar.com
August 11th, 2011 at 4:50 pm
[...] placate the massive protests taking place in Israel over the high cost of housing and to admonish the Palestinian bid to seek U.N. recognition in September. But the aggressive decision is unlikely to resolve either issue for the Israeli [...]
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August 12th, 2011 at 7:49 am
[...] placate the massive protests taking place in Israel over the high cost of housing and to admonish the Palestinian bid to seek U.N. recognition in September. But the aggressive decision is unlikely to resolve either issue for the Israeli [...]
Orville<3Redenbacher
August 13th, 2011 at 12:54 pm
Thanks for the insightful comments. You really have helped solve a problem of global importance!
Now yell upstairs for your momma to bring you more cheese puffs so you don't have to peel yourself away from the monitor today.
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August 13th, 2011 at 2:26 pm
[...] massive protests taking place in IsraHell over the high cost of housing and to admonish the Palestinian bid to seek U.N. recognition in September. But the aggressive decision is unlikely to resolve either issue for the Israeli [...]
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September 2nd, 2011 at 2:51 pm
[...] dialogue is unusually blunt, since Israel’s public objections to Palestinian statehood at the United Nations, to be voted upon this month, have been mundane and political in [...]
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[...] dialogue is unusually blunt, since Israel’s public objections to Palestinian statehood at the United Nations, to be voted upon this month, have been mundane and political in [...]
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September 3rd, 2011 at 5:08 pm
[...] dialogue is unusually blunt, since Israel’s public objections to Palestinian statehood at the United Nations, to be voted upon this month, have been mundane and political in [...]
A. Loewenstein Online Newsletter | SHOAH
September 4th, 2011 at 12:47 am
[...] dialogue is unusually blunt, since Israel’s public objections to Palestinian statehood at the United Nations, to be voted upon this month, have been mundane and political in [...]
biomass pellet
November 20th, 2011 at 7:09 pm
Thanks for the insightful comments. You really have helped solve a problem of global importance!