Palestinian Statehood?A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

This photo originally appeared at 972mag, with the caption:

Hundreds of Palestinians gather to watch the speech by President Mahmoud Abbas in the bid for Palestine's "non-member observer state" status at the United Nations, projected on the Israeli separation wall in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, November 29, 2012. Hours later, the UN General Assembly voted 138-9 in favor of the upgraded status for Palestine, with 41 nations abstaining. (photo by: Ryan Rodrick Beiler/Activestills.org)

I wonder what the Israeli soldiers in the guard tower were thinking?

Canada's Foreign Affairs Low Point for 2012

Last night on CBC's national TV news program - The National - Janice Stein, Samantha Nutt, Aisha Ahmad and Wenran Jian joined anchor Peter Mansbridge to discuss Canada’s role on the world stage in 2012. The last question posed by Mansbridge to the experts was "What was Canada's foreign affairs low point in 2012?" Two of them - Aisha Ahmad and Wenran Jian - said, unequivolcally - Canada's vote in the UN against Palestinian statehood.

131 Yes, 9 No, 41 Abstain

131 Yes, 9 No, 41 Abstain.  That is the official tally on the UN General Assembly Vote that recognized Palestine as a non-member state of the UN.

Above is an image of the official tally sheet. The original can be found here.

The 9 No votes were:

Israel
United States
Canada
Check Republic
Panama
Palau
Nauru
Marshall Islands
Micronesia

Among the Yes votes: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Georgia, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Lichtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, China, India, Japan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Brazil, Mexico, Algeria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Philippines, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Egypt, and New Zealand.

The Yes votes include 24 of the 48 countries in geographical Europe, and 14 of the 27 members of the European Union. All other European countries - except the Check Republic - abstained.

The Yes votes include 14 of the 15 worlds most populous countries and 7 of the 10 largest countries in the world by area. (Australia, #6 by area, abstained.)

New Zealand, appears to be the only "white settler state" to have voted Yes. (Maybe that has something to do with the relatively positive relations between the native Maori people and the "later arrivals.")

In percentage terms the vote was: Yes 72.4%, No 4.9%, Abstain 22.7%.  For comparison, the November 29 1947 vote on UN General Assembly resolution 181, the partition plan that ended the British Mandate and established the legal basis for the State of Israel, was: Yes 58.9%, No 23.3%, Abstain 17.7%.

A Two State Manifesto

Israeli Ambassador to the UN speaking against Palestinian Statehood

The UN resolution accepting Palestine in to the UN as an observer state, is a pure endorsement of the two state solution.

If Israeli leaders were smart they should grab this offer with both hands, before its too late.


It is unequivocally a two state solution and that clearly comes to undo 1967 and not 1948. Not a hint of a single state in the future.

[the UN] Affirms its determination to contribute to the achievement of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and the attainment of a peaceful settlement in the Middle East that ends the occupation that began in 1967 and fulfils the vision of two States: an independent, sovereign, democratic, contiguous and viable State of Palestine living side by side in peace and security with Israel on the basis of the pre-1967 borders;

And it talks of negotiations to work out the thorniest issues.

Reaffirming further its resolution 66/18 of 30 November 2011 and all relevant
resolutions regarding the status of Jerusalem, bearing in mind that the annexation of
East Jerusalem is not recognized by the international community, and emphasizing
the need for a way to be found through negotiations to resolve the status of
Jerusalem as the capital of two States,

The only mention "the right of return" is

"[the need for] a just resolution of the problem of the Palestine refugees."

Read full resolution here.

This Dog Don't Hunt

I couldn't agree more.

These Palestinians are demonstrating against Harper's policy to oppose Palestine's statehood bid at the UN General Assembly. Harper is not popular in Palestine

And when it comes to Harper, they don't know the half of it.

29th of November: Take Two

The 29th of November is an auspicious date in the history of Israel. And it promised to be so again.

On the 29th of November 1947, the UN voted for "Resolution 181: A Plan of Partition with Economic Union." The resolution called for the end the British Mandate for Palestine and for partition of Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state  (with a UN controlled region around Jerusalem.) The resolution formed the legal basis for Israel's creation. Jews around the world rejoiced. Most of us have seen the iconic videos of the vote being announced over loudspeakers in Tel-Aviv, and people breaking out in song and dance when it became clear that it would pass.

The date was considered so significant that there are streets in a dozen Israeli cities named "Kaf Tet b"November" (Hebrew for 29th of November) Street. The map above shows Kaf Tet b'November Street in Jerusalem's Katamon neighbourhood. It runs from Gdud Ha'Ivri (the Hebrew Brigade) Street to Kovshei Katamon (Conquerors of Katamon) Street. (My mother's cousin, Rushka Olian z"l, used to live just around the corner, on Eli Cohen Street.)

Now, another event on the 29th of November, and also at the UN, may serve as the final nail in the coffin of a two state solution: exactly what the original partition plan envisioned. Or alternately, the UN that day, may breath some life into this almost dead idea. On that date - this coming Thursday - on the 65th anniversary of the United Nations original resolution to partition British Mandatory Palestine, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas plans to ask the U.N. General Assembly to recognize Palestine as a “nonmember state.”

If he succeeds, it may give the PA, Fatah, and their relatively conciliatory positions some credibility  with the Palestinian people, versus Hamas and its hard line. If he succeeds, Abbas may be able to jettison his condition that Israel freeze settlement growth and call to restart peace talks. It may give him enough clout to wring some concessions out of the Israelis (something he has not been able to do so far with all his cooperation and conciliatory gestures.) If he fails, thats it for the PA. Even if it does not fold  (and it very well may) it will have lost all credibility with the Palestinian people. They will likely draw the conclusion, that diplomacy and cooperation with Israeli authorities will never bring them much closer to independence, or even decent living conditions. They will have learnt what Hamas wants them to learn - that (to quote Mao) "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun" - or to use a more Israeli idiom, "The Jews only understand force."

For a more thorough analysis of this, as well as a prognosis of why we should be pessimistic about Abbas succeeding even if he wins the UN vote (hint:  both the U.S. and Israel are working very hard to make him fail) see this piece by Peter Beinart.