PA president says he will work toward ending Fatah, Hamas dispute; officials disregard US, Israeli threats to punish PA.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Abbas heads to NY ahead of UN statehood bid

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is set to head to New York on Monday to seek the UN’s approval for upgrading the PA’s status to non-member observer.

PA officials, meanwhile, said they were not taking seriously Israeli and American threats to punish the PA leadership for going to the UN, noting that Arab countries have expressed readiness to compensate the Palestinians financially.

On the eve of his departure, the PA organized a rally outside Abbas’s office in Ramallah in support of the statehood bid.

Ignoring demands from the US and some EU countries, Abbas is planning to present the request to the UN this coming Thursday.

Addressing his supporters, Abbas said that after obtaining the status of non-member observer, he will work toward ending the dispute between his Fatah faction and Hamas.

Abbas said that “all Palestinian factions” supported the statehood bid. Last week, however, Hamas denied that it was in favor of the statehood bid at the UN.

“I’m going to the UN to demand a just peace based on international legitimacy to achieve an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,” Abbas declared. He also pledged to work toward seeking the release of Palestinian “heroes” from Israeli prisons.

Abbas said he was going to the UN after having won the support of all “peace-lovers and countries that believe in the Palestinians’ right to self-determination.”

A large number of countries supported the statehood bid, he added.

PA Foreign Minister Riad Malki said that November 29 would be a “historic turning point in the march of our people toward a state and independence.”

He predicted that a majority of UN members would vote in favor of the PA’s statehood bid “as an expression of the international status of Palestine.”

Malki is also scheduled to travel to New York Monday to put the final touches to the PA resolution.

Malki said he would continue his efforts in New York to persuade as many countries as possible to vote in favor of upgrading the status of a Palestinian entity.

Meanwhile, Jamal Muhaissen, a member of the Fatah Central Committee, warned that his group would not hesitate to resort to “armed struggle” in light of Israeli threats to take punitive measures against the PA because of the statehood bid.

“The armed struggle is a guaranteed right for the Palestinian people to defend themselves against the Israeli threats,” Muhaissen said. “The Israeli threats are part of a policy aimed at deterring the Palestinian leadership from going to the UN.”

The Fatah official said that he nevertheless did not expect Israel to carry out its threats. He claimed that Israel had issued similar threats before Yasser Arafat declared the establishment of a Palestinian state in 1988 in Algiers.

Muhaissen said the Palestinians would be able to cope with any sanctions imposed on them by the US and Israel, including cutting off financial aid to the PA. He said that Arab countries have promised to support the PA financially if the US and Israel carried out their threats.

Top Fatah official Nabil Sha’ath also dismissed as “worthless” Israeli threats against the PA.

“Who has an interest in the abrogation of the Oslo Accords?” Sha’ath asked. “They [israel] will lose. Do they want to bear the costs of occupation?”

Referring to US pressure on the PA leadership to refrain from presenting the statehood bid to the UN, Sha’ath said: “Instead of threatening us, they should give the Palestinians their rights.”

He too said that the Palestinians have received promises for financial support from Arab countries if the US cuts off aid and Israel withholds tax revenues belonging to the PA.

Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, warned that canceling the Oslo Accords would jeopardize security and stability in the region and the entire world.

However, she said, she did not expect Israel to take such a drastic step “because this is not in the interest of any political party.”

PA Labor Minister Ahmed Majdalani was quoted by the PA’s official news agency Wafa as saying that Israeli threats to withhold tax revenues were part of the Israeli government’s “election campaign.”

Majdalani said that canceling agreements that regulate security and economic relations between the PA and Israel “effectively mean that Israel has recognized the Palestinian state.” He said that withholding the tax revenues would force the PA to stop paying full salaries to its civil servants and reduce health, social and educational services to the Palestinians.

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=293438

The third leg of this struggle.

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Ashrawi: PLO has submitted UN bid

Published today 16:44

BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The PLO has submitted a final draft resolution to the UN General Assembly, PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi said Tuesday.

Ashrawi told Ma'an the final resolution was submitted on Monday afternoon to the UN in New York, requesting an upgrade of Palestine's UN status to an "observer state." The UN General Assembly is expected to pass the resolution on Thursday.

The submission puts an end to attempts to pressure the PA to amend the wording of the resolution.

The Israeli daily Haaretz reported Tuesday that Israel was negotiating with the US to seek additional clauses to the resolution, following warnings by US officials that President Mahmoud Abbas would not back down from the bid.

Haaretz reported that Israel wanted the resolution to include a clause stating that Palestine would reject membership of the International Criminal Court, where it could charge Israeli leaders with war crimes.

Israel was also seeking a clause stating that the decision grants the PLO no sovereignty over occupied Palestinian land and a commitment to renew negotiations without preconditions.

Britain had indicated that it would support Abbas' UN bid but wanted assurances that the resolution would not be used to join the ICC or other UN bodies, the Financial Times reported Monday.

Asked whether Palestine would file complaints with the International Criminal Court, Ashrawi told Ma'an that it would be left to the Palestinian leadership to decide.

She reiterated that the Palestinian Authority would not abandon any of the inalienable Palestinian rights guaranteed by international law.

Ashrawi said efforts to recruit support for the status upgrade were ongoing, but said Palestine had enough support to pass the resolution.

France said on Tuesday it would vote in favor of Palestinian non-member status at the United Nations.

"This Thursday or Friday, when the question is asked, France will vote yes," Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius announced in the lower house of parliament.

Portugal is also supporting the resolution, Foreign Minister Paulo Portas said last week in Brussels.

"If we say to the Palestinians that the right way is not violence but rather political negotiations, when the Palestinian Authority goes to UNGA, asking not to be Member-State but rather an Observer State, if Europe then closes the door to the Palestinians it will lose its credibility and relevance," Portas said,

"For Portugal the main message is this: if we consider that Palestine has the right to its own state one day, how can we close the door if they chose the way of peace, by going to UNGA, the most multilateral institution in the world, where they ask to become an Observer State?" the minister added.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=542578

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

France to recognize Palestinian state at UN

PARIS (AP) — France announced Tuesday that it plans to vote in favor of recognizing a Palestinian state at the U.N. General Assembly this week.

With the announcement, France becomes the first major European country to come out in favor, dealing a setback to Israel. The timing of the announcement appears aimed at swaying other European nations.

Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told parliament that France has long supported Palestinian ambitions for statehood and "will respond 'Yes'" when the issue comes up for a vote "out of a concern for coherency."

The Palestinians say the assembly is likely to vote Thursday on a resolution raising their status at the U.N. from an observer to a nonmember observer state, a move they believe is an important step toward a two-state solution with Israel. A Palestinian state would still not be a full General Assembly member, however.

Unlike the Security Council, there are no vetoes in the General Assembly and the resolution is virtually certain of approval. But such a vote by France — a permanent council member — could weigh on decisions in other European capitals.

Europe is divided over the issue. Switzerland and Portugal have said they will vote for the measure, but Germany is among the countries that have opposed the bid. Britain's position remains unclear.

Palestinians say they are doing this out of frustration over the four-year deadlock in peace efforts. They believe an endorsement of their state will bolster their negotiating position.

Israel strongly opposes the bid, accusing the Palestinians of trying to bypass negotiations. The resolution would endorse a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, the territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel opposes a pullback to the 1967 lines.

...

http://news.yahoo.com/france-recognize-palestinian-state-un-142746680.html

Edited November 27, 2012 by wife_of_mahmoud

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Party revolt forces Australian PM to order abstention on Palestinian bid at UN

Threatened by political crisis, Julia Gillard retracts earlier decision to vote against Palestinian move. Move seen as a setback for normally close alliance between Jerusalem and Canberra.

Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, a staunch ally of Israel, has suffered a stinging political setback after being forced by her own cabinet ministers to backtrack from an earlier decision to oppose the Palestinian bid at the UN and to order an Aussie abstention instead.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/party-revolt-forces-australian-pm-to-order-abstention-on-palestinian-bid-at-un.premium-1.481015

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Let's see if the US, Germany, and Britain follow the lead of Australia, and avoid being on the wrong side of history. I wonder if Obama has the courage of his believes, or if political expediency will make his decision for how Susan Rice votes tomorrow.

[decocker 7,198]

obama needs to step the hell up. the majority of people who would most likely be outraged already think he's muslim anyway, why not go for the gold..

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Palestinians win more European support for limited statehood

Switzerland, Denmark, Austria will join France in backing Palestinian upgrade at UN; Britain seeking assurances from Palestinians; Germany will oppose move.

More European states joined France on Wednesday in backing a Palestinian bid for limited statehood, but Britain held back, saying it wanted an assurance that the Palestinians would not pursue Israel through the International Criminal Court.

Germany said it was opposing the diplomatic upgrade for the Palestinians at the United Nations, joining Israel and the United States which say the only genuine route to statehood is via a peace agreement made in direct talks with Israel.

Semi-statehood could allow Palestinian territories to access the court and other international bodies.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is leading the campaign and several European governments are eager to give him their support after an eight-day conflict this month between Israel and Islamists in the Gaza Strip, who are pledged to Israel's destruction and oppose his efforts towards negotiated peace.

With overwhelming support from the developing world, the Palestinians appear certain to earn approval in the 193-member UN General Assembly for a status upgrade to "observer state" on Thursday.

Switzerland, Denmark and Austria said they would vote for the upgrade. France gave its approval on Tuesday. Britain said it would not oppose the move but needed more assurances to give its support.

"The first is that the Palestinian Authority should indicate a clear commitment to return immediately to negotiations without preconditions," Foreign Seretary William Hague told parliament.

"The second assurance relates to membership of other specialized UN agencies and action in the International Criminal Court," he added.

The Swiss approval followed a visit to Berne by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas this month as the country hesitated between voting in favor of the resolution or abstaining.

Abbas had reiterated his commitment to relaunch the peace process immediately following the UN vote, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said.

Talks have been stalled for two years, mainly over the issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which have expanded despite being deemed illegal by most of the world.

Germany said it would oppose the Palestinian bid. Berlin has close ties with Israel and has strongly backed the right of the Jewish state to hit back against rocket attacks from Gaza during the latest upsurge of violence in the region.

"Our goal in all this is to prevent further negative effects on the already difficult Middle East peace process," German foreign ministry spokesman Andreas Peschke said.

He reiterated Germany's support for a two-state solution as the final result of a "just and negotiated settlement".

TURNING POINT

In Ramallah in the West Bank, senior Palestine Liberation Organization official Hanan Ashrawi said the positive responses from other European states were encouraging and sent a message of hope to all Palestinians.

"This constitutes a historical turning point and opportunity for the world to rectify a grave historical injustice that the Palestinians have undergone since the creation of the state of Israel in 1948."

"Now the people of this land, with enormous solidarity, is telling the whole world not only that we exist, but we are on our land and we have a right to self-determination and statehood," she said.

Israel and the United States have mooted withholding aid and tax revenue that the Palestinian government in the West Bank needs to survive. Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has also viewed options that include bringing down Abbas.

Israeli, British and U.S. diplomats had tried to persuade the Palestinians to drop their upgrade bid. When that foundered, they focused on trying to get the Palestinians to guarantee that they would forego complaining about Israel to the ICC.

The court prosecutes people for genocide, war crimes and other human rights violations.

The Palestinian UN observer, Riyad Mansour, said the Palestinians would not rush to sign up to the ICC if they win the UN status upgrade. But seeking action against Israel in the court would remain an option, he told a news conference at the United Nations on Tuesday.

Mansour said that if Israel continued to violate international law, particularly by building settlements in the West Bank - territory Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War - then the Palestinians would consult with friends, including Europe, on what to do next.

The United States has suggested aid for the Palestinians - and possibly some funding for the United Nations - could also be at risk if the Palestinians win the UN upgrade. Israel has said it may cancel the Paris Protocol, an economic accord it maintains with the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/palestinians-win-more-european-support-for-limited-statehood-1.481193

BTW Hamas has already formally announced (once again) that it's onboard for the PA's proposal of a 2-state solution on the 1967 armistice lines, with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital and a just settlement for the refugees (in case anyone is still clinging to the "push Jews into the sea" meme.)

Although there was never any hope of defeating the Palestinian bid at the UN General Assembly, Israel weakened its position even further with its latest slaughter in Gaza.

Now it's going through one of its periodic political shuffles. Defense Minister Ehud Barak steps down (the old "gotta spend more time with his family" euphemism,) Tzipi Livni returns from the bench, and Likud shifts even further toward the extreme rightwing "no-Palestinian-state" settler bloc. Israeli elections coming up in just a few months...

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

The Israeli Shuffle... made me think of this video...

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

Germany backtracks on Palestinian bid; Israeli official: 'We lost Europe'

Hours before the UN General Assembly vote, Germany decides to abstain, instead of voting against; Netanyahu says the decision will not advance the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian people are enjoying sweeping support in the lead up to Thursday night's vote at the UN General Assembly over whether to upgrade the Palestinians' standing to non-member observer status. By Thursday morning Israel time, that support had turned into a full-on landslide, as more European nations decided to alter their positions, essentially leaving Israel to fend for itself.

Early Thursday morning, just hours before the vote -- scheduled to take place around 11:00 P.M. (Israel time) -- Germany changed its mind, deciding to abstain from voting rather than opposing the Palestinian initiative, as Israel had assumed it would.

"The decision wasn't taken lightly," Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said. "Germany shares the goal for a Palestinian state. We have campaigned for this in many ways, but the recent decisive steps towards real statehood can only be the result of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians," the German official said.

The UN General Assembly is expected to pass a historic resolution recognizing Palestine within the 1967 borders as a non-member observer state.

At least 150 countries are expected to vote in favor of the resolution. Italian officials announced on Thursday that Italy would also support the bid. In opposing the resolution, Israel is likely to find itself isolated with the United States, Canada, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and possibly the Czech Republic – although sources at the Foreign Ministry said Germany's decision would likely affect the Czech vote as well.

This, in effect, leaves Israel without any European country supporting it at the international forum. Officials in Israel said that Germany's decision was influenced by Britain. "Britain's dramatic reversal prompted the Germans to change their mind," a Foreign Ministry official said. "We lost Europe. More than half of its countries will vote with the Palestinians, and the rest will abstain."

Bulgaria and Romania, with whom Israel has held intensive discussions in the last day, have also backtracked on their positions, as both intend to abstain. Belgium, meanwhile announced Thursday morning that it will vote in favor of the Palestinians. Belgium's foreign minister Didier Reynders said his UN envoy will stress that his country urges the renewal of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians.

Speaking in Jerusalem hours before the vote, Prime Minister Netanyahu said the UN General Assembly's recognition of Palestine as a non-member observer state "will not change anything on the ground." Netanyahu denounced the international community and said that, "No matter how many fingers are raised against us, there is no power in the world that can force Israel to compromise on its security."

Netanyahu said the decision will not advance the establishment of a Palestinian state, but rather push it farther away. "Israel's hand is outstretched in peace, but a Palestinian state will not be formed without recognition of Israel as the Jewish state," the prime minister said.

"A Palestinian state will not rise without declaring an end to the conflict and without security arrangements that protect Israel's citizens. None of these issues are mentioned in the UN General Assembly decision. These are just some of the reasons why we are rejecting the proposed resolution."

Netanyahu added: "Peace can only be achieved through direct negotiations without preconditions between the parties, and not through unilateral decisions made at the UN. I suggest we not pay heed to the applause at the UN. I remember when Israel's unilateral disengagement from Gaza received international applause; we got applause and then rockets. Israel withdrew from Gaza and Iran went in. The same exact thing happened when we left Lebanon. As prime minister, I will not allow the growth of another Iranian terror base in Judea and Samaria – the heart of the country – just a kilometer outside of central Jerusalem."

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/germany-backtracks-on-palestinian-bid-israeli-official-we-lost-europe.premium-1.481392#

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

It's coming in fast and furious now...

Germany abstaining at UN because Israel wouldn't budge on settlements, official says

Senior official says Germany has been trying to help Israel on the Palestinian issue for a long time but Israel has not taken the necessary steps to advance the peace process; Italy also announces that it will support Palestinians at the UN.

The German decision not to oppose the Palestinian bid for non-member observer state status, and to abstain in the vote at the United Nations General Assembly this evening has shocked the top brass at the Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister's office. A top German official who took part in discussions in Berlin, however, stressed that the writing was on the wall.

The senior German official, who has requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, has told Haaretz that Germany has been trying to help Israel on the Palestinian issue for a long time but Israel has not taken the necessary steps to advance the peace process. “The Israelis,” he said, “did not respond in any way to our request to make a gesture on settlements.”

Indecisive and confusing Israeli conduct surrounding the Palestinian's move at the UN has angered decision-makers in Germany. The Germans feel that they have been taken advantage of by Israel, and that the latter has been secretive and uncooperative.

According to the high-ranking German official, “The resolution,” to recognize Palestinian state that will be passed today in the General Assembly, “is positive in one sense – it clearly recognizes the two-state solution and the right of existence of the state of Israel.”

The German decision to abstain in the UN vote is expected to exacerbate the considerable tension between Chancellor Angela Merkel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which has been an issue in recent years, regardless of the current situation. There is a great deal of anger among officials in the Prime Minister's office, over the change in Germany’s position, especially in light of the fact that until this morning the messages coming from the Germans indicated that it was their intention to vote against the resolution.

A summit meeting between the government of Israel and the government of Germany is scheduled for next week in Berlin. Presumably the disagreement concerning the vote at the UN will cast a shadow on the discussions.

Ever since Netanyahu became prime minister four years ago, his relations with Chancellor Merkel have been very strained. Numerous times, Merkel felt that Netanyahu did not keep promises he had made to her, and she was especially angry at the continuation of the construction in the settlements.

One of the peaks in the crisis between Merkel and Netanyahu occurred in February of 2011 – then too in the context of the nature of a vote at the UN when the Germans lined up with the U.K. and France, and voted in favor of a Security Council resolution condemning construction in West Bank settlements.

At that time Haaretz revealed that in the wake of the vote Netanyahu phoned Merkel and voiced his disappointment. Merkel reacted angrily to Netanyahu’s remarks and said it was he who had disappointed her by not having lifted a finger to advance the peace process.

Meanwhile on Thursday, Italian officials stated that Italy will support the Palestinians' in their UN bid. Sweden's Foreign Carl Bild posted on his blog on Thursday that Sweden will also vote in support of the Palestinians at the UN.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/germany-abstaining-at-un-because-israel-wouldn-t-budge-on-settlements-official-says.premium-1.481443