Palestinians to present statehood bid to UN general assembly

Palestinian leaders have said that they will formally request recognition of their state and full membership of the UN next month, despite strong US opposition amid warnings that such a move would jeopardise future peace talks.

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, will personally present the application to the UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, before the UN general assembly opens on 20 September.

The UN has the moral, legal, political and historical responsibility to recognise Palestine and “to put an end to the Israeli occupation”, said Ryad Malki, the Palestinian foreign minister.

Abbas is to travel to Lebanon on Tuesday to discuss the plan. Lebanon will hold the rotating presidency of the UN security council next month and is expected to be sympathetic to the Palestinian campaign.

The Israeli prime minister’s office said the Palestinian move was “expected and regrettable”. “Binyamin Netanyahu [the Israeli prime minister] still believes that only through direct and honest negotiations – not through unilateral decisions – will it be possible to advance the peace process,” the statement said.

The Palestinian decision to adopt the UN approach is borne of frustration over stalled negotiations. Direct talks broke down last September when Israel refused to extend a temporary freeze on settlement expansion. The Palestinians also hope that UN recognition of their state will increase international pressure on Israel to end its 44-year occupation.

Full membership of the UN requires the backing of the 15-member security council before approval by the general assembly. The US has already stated its intention to veto such a move. The UK, also a permanent member of the security council, has not declared its position. If the bid for full membership fails, the Palestinians are expected to request “non-member state” status – a step short of full recognition – at the general assembly, which requires a two-thirds majority of the 193 countries. At the moment, the Palestinians believe they have the support of about 120.

Both the Palestinians and the Israelis have launched global diplomatic offensives in recent weeks to win support for their respective positions. According to Malki, the Palestinians’ “weakest point” was Latin America and the Caribbean, whose countries are meeting on Friday to try to establish a common position.

The Israeli diplomatic campaign has focused on Europe. The 27 EU countries are presently split on whether to back the Palestinian bid, with Germany and Italy opposed, Ireland and Portugal in favour, and France and the UK undeclared. EU officials have pushed for a compromise in an attempt to keep the EU bloc together.

The US has also sought to avoid a vote at the UN by attempting to reopen direct talks between the Israelis and the Palestinians on the basis of the pre-1967 borders with agreed land swaps to allow the big settlement blocs to remain in Israeli hands. Despite Netanyahu’s oft-repeated statements that there is no alternative to negotiations, many in the international community are sceptical about his willingness to make concessions to allow the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Last week, the Israeli authorities confirmed plans for 1,600 homes in settlements in East Jerusalem, with another 2,700 expected to be approved in the coming days. The Palestinians want East Jerusalem, which was annexed by Israel after the 1967 war, to be their capital.

“The settlements are the real obstacle to the resumption of negotiations,” Abbas was quoted as telling the US consul general in Jerusalem on Saturday.

Israeli media reported this month that President Shimon Peres at the last minute cancelled a meeting with Abbas,that had been scheduled to try to revive negotiations, after Netanyahu failed to provide him with anything new to put on the table. Israel has repeatedly raised the spectre of renewed violence in the autumn, regardless of the outcome of the UN bid. The Palestinian Authority has called for peaceful demonstrations to coincide with the expected vote in New York.

Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s rightwing foreign minister, has said the Palestinians are preparing for “bloodshed the likes of which we’ve never seen before”.

“The more they talk about nonviolent activity, the more preparations there are for bloodshed. When you prepare a march of tens of thousands of people who will storm checkpoints and pass through without being checked, everyone can imagine what would happen … the Palestinians are planning this in great detail,” he said.

The Israeli security forces are preparing for a number of scenarios, according to reports in the local media. Special training of thousands of police officers is under way, and 200,000 litres of foul-smelling water canon has been stockpiled.

The defence minister, Ehud Barak, told Army Radio on Sunday that millions of dollars had been spent on riot gear. However, he added, he expected and hoped September would pass quietly.

Palestinian spokesman Ghassan Khatib denied there would be violence. “These Israeli predictions of violence aren’t true,” he told Associated Press. “Israel is trying to fuel a fake picture of what will happen in September.”
Road to statehood?

1918-48 The British governed Palestine after the end of the first world war and the defeat of the Ottoman Empire, which had ruled the region. The British promised self-rule to the Arabs but also backed the creation of a Jewish homeland in the region.

1948-67 After the war that followed Israel’s declaration of its state in May 1948, the West Bank and East Jerusalem was governed by Jordan, and Gaza was governed by Egypt.

1967-93 During the Six-Day War, Israel occupied the West Bank and Gaza, and captured and later annexed East Jerusalem. It imposed military rule over the Palestinian territories.

1993 The Oslo accords were signed between Israel and Palestine, leading to the creation of the Palestinian Authority. The PA was given control over some West Bank cities, but Israel military control was maintained over 60% of the West Bank.