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<h1><font size=4><b>How Palestinian Authority’s UN "statehood"
bid endangers Palestinian rights </b></font></h1><font size=3>Submitted
by Ali Abunimah on Mon, 08/08/2011 - 14:06<br>
</font><font size=1>
<a href="http://electronicintifada.net/blog/ali-abunimah/how-palestinian-authoritys-un-statehood-bid-endangers-palestinian-rights" eudora="autourl">
http://electronicintifada.net/blog/ali-abunimah/how-palestinian-authoritys-un-statehood-bid-endangers-palestinian-rights</a>
<br><br>
</font><font size=3>The Palestinian Boycott National Committee (BNC), the
steering group of the international
<a href="http://electronicintifada.net/tags/bds">boycott, divestment and
sanctions (BDS)</a> campaign, has issued further guidance in the run up
to the Palestinian Authority’s effort to gain UN membership for a “State
of Palestine” in September.<br><br>
The
<a href="http://www.bdsmovement.net/2011/bnc-reiterates-its-position-on-september-7794">
BNC statement today</a> implicitly warns that recognition of any “state”
that did not include full recognition of all Palestinian rights and the
right of all Palestinians everywhere to be represented, could violate or
negate those rights.<br><br>
The statement further warns that governments around the world cannot use
symbolic recognition of a Palestinian “state” to evade their
responsibilities:<br><br>
</font>
<dl>
<dd>States that offer recognition of Palestinian statehood and continue
business as usual with Israel are beyond hypocritical; they betray their
own basic legal and political obligations to end Israel’s grave and
persistent violations of international law and Palestinian
rights.<br><br>
<br>
</dl><h2><b>Protecting self-determination for all
Palestinians</b></h2><font size=3>The Western-backed Palestinian
Authority’s (PA) effort to seek UN recognition of “statehood”
unilaterally, without consulting the Palestinian people from which the PA
has absolutely no mandate, has raised fears among Palestinians that the
move could actually harm Palestinian rights.<br><br>
If the UN votes to admit the “State of Palestine,” it is likely that the
unelected representatives of the Palestinian Authority would be seated in
the General Assembly instead of the Palestine Liberation Organization
(PLO), which currently holds the Palestine observer seat at the
UN..<br><br>
This would be a severe blow to the potential for realizing Palestinian
rights in the long run through international bodies: whereas the PLO
ostensibly represents all Palestinians, the PA “state” would only
represent its “citizens” – residents of the West Bank and Gaza
Strip.<br><br>
Of course in reality this “state” would not represent anyone since it
would have absolutely no control of the territory on which it purports to
exist and its “government” – what is now the Palestinian Authority –
would remain subject to the blackmail and pressure of its financiers and
external political sponsors.<br><br>
Recognizing this danger, the BNC states:<br><br>
<dl>
<dd>The most fundamental, inalienable right of the people of Palestine is
the right to self determination. Ending the occupation is one pillar in
exercising that right. The right to self-determination, which in the case
of Palestinians is represented by the Palestine Liberation Organization
(PLO), is commonly defined as the right of “all peoples … freely to
determine, without external interference, their political status and to
pursue their economic, social and cultural development.” It is a right
held by all Palestinians, irrespective of their current location, by
virtue of international law and the principles of popular sovereignty and
democracy. All Palestinians, including the refugees in the shatat
(diaspora) and Palestinian citizens of Israel, have a right to
participate</b> in and be represented by –- in the UN and elsewhere -– a
democratic PLO that determines the political status and pursues the
economic, social and cultural development of the entire Palestinian
people.<br><br>
</dl>Therefore, the statement warns:<br><br>
<dl>
<dd>Until the Palestinian people exercises its right to self
determination, the PLO remains the sole legitimate representative that
represents all Palestinians in the UN and in other international,
regional and multinational forums. No alternative will be accepted by the
great majority of the Palestinian people.<br><br>
</b>
</dl>In other words, a “State of Palestine” must not be allowed to
replace or usurp the right to representation and self-determination of
the whole Palestinian people through a reconstituted PLO.<br><br>
Of course as Palestinians frequently point out, the PLO today is largely
defunct, its offices usurped and held for life by the very people who run
the PA. But legally, the PLO remains the only body and framework for
representing all Palestinians, and protecting the possibility for the PLO
to be revived in a truly representative form is absolutely
vital.<br><br>
There is no doubt that the PA “statehood” bid at the UN – which enjoys no
Palestinian consensus behind it – represents a direct threat to this
possibility.<br><br>
</font><h2><b>What does self-determination look
like?</b></h2><font size=3>The BNC reiterates that “At a minimum,
exercising the right to self determination by all Palestinians” entails:
<ol>
<ol>
<li>Ending Israel’s occupation and colonization of all Arab lands
occupied in 1967;
<li>Honoring the right of Palestinian citizens of Israelto full equality
by ending the Israeli system of legalized and institutionalized racial
discrimination (which conforms to the UN definition of apartheid); and
<li>Respecting and enabling the implementation of the UN-sanctioned right
of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and lands from which
they were expelled. <br>
</dl>These demands are of course the same as those contained in the
widely supported 2005 Palestinian call for boycott, divestment and
sanctions, and unlike the narrow focus on “statehood,” encompass the
rights of all segments of the Palestinian people.<br><br>
</font><h2><b>Friends of Palestine weigh in</b></h2><font size=3>The BNC
had already issued
<a href="http://www.bdsmovement.net/2011/before-and-after-september-7154">
a statement on the question of “statehood” on 1 June 2011</a>, however it
may have felt the need to issue further guidance as Palestine solidarity
groups around the world have questioned whether or not to support the
measure.<br><br>
Some have already taken positions. The
<a href="http://www.palestina-komitee.nl/NPK-berichten/320">Netherlands
Palestine Committee (known by its Dutch initials NPK) issued a 3 August
statement on the question of statehood</a> indicating it would not
support the move:<br><br>
<dl>
<dd>If recognition of the Palestinian State by the United Nations - at
the initiative of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) - would take
place within the context of recognition of the rights of the Palestinian
People - and would include the right of return of the refugees and equal
rights for the Palestinian citizens of Israel - and concrete steps
towards the realization of those rights, the Netherlands Palestine
Committee (NPK) would then support such a measure.<br><br>
<dd>Given that this in no way appears to be the case - implying that the
majority of the Palestinian People would be deprived of realizing their
rights - NPK cannot consider this as a positive development.<br><br>
</b>
<dd>This position must not be confused with the rejection by Israel and
its Western allies who, at the same time, continually refuse to take
action against Israel’s structural violation of international law and/or
are themselves complicit (translation from Dutch provided by
NPK).<br><br>
</dl><a href="http://www.palestina-komitee.nl/NPK-berichten/319">I will
be speaking on the question of Palestinian “statehood” in the
Netherlands</a>, sponsored by NPK in September.<br><br>
Meanwhile
<a href="http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/301/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=7452">
Jewish Voices for Peace (JVP) issued an action alert</a> urging
supporters to press the US government not to veto UN admittance of the
“State of Palestine.”<br><br>
The JVP letter, which was issued before the latest BNC statement came
out, claims:<br><br>
<dl>
<dd>The Palestinians are seeking membership in the United Nations as a
way to enhance their ability to press for freedom and justice.<br><br>
</dl>It does not note that it is not “The Palestinians” making this move
but the unelected, unaccountable PA leaders who have no mandate
whatsoever from the vast majority of living Palestinians. It
continues:<br><br>
<dl>
<dd>We know that the vote is just one step, and only a beginning. It
won’t stop the growing pace of Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem and
the West Bank. It won’t suddenly mean there is a viable Palestinian
state, or freedom for those in Gaza, or a just resolution to the problem
of refugees.<br><br>
<dd>But it will recognize the right to Palestinian self-determination,
give our movement additional tools in moving toward a truly just
resolution, and give fresh hope to all the people of Palestine and Israel
who deserve to live in freedom and democracy.<br><br>
</dl>It is hoped that JVP will take into account the BNC statement that
the price of admission of an imaginary Palestinian “state” to the UN, may
be the real rights and futures of Palestinians to actual
self-determination.<br><br>
</font><h2><b>Further reading</b></h2><font size=3>Some recent key
articles on the question of Palestinian “statehood” and
self-determination. Reflecting an emerging consensus, most warn of the
dangers of the move, but those offering support or qualified support are
also included.
<ul>
<li>
“<a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/04/2011413152522296883.html">
Recognising Palestine?</a>,” Ali Abunimah, Al Jazeera (13 April 2011)
<li>
“<a href="http://al-shabaka.org/policy-brief/politics/reclaiming-self-determination">
Reclaiming Self-Determination</a>,” Ali Abunimah, Al Shabaka (21 May
2010)
<li>
“<a href="http://electronicintifada.net/blog/ali-abunimah/exclusive-abbas-let-israel-keep-settlements-even-if-un-recognizes-state">
Exclusive: Abbas to let Israel keep settlements even if UN recognizes
“state”</a>,” Ali Abunimah (17 May 2011)
<li>
“<a href="http://electronicintifada.net/blog/ali-abunimah/why-does-anti-palestinian-reut-institute-support-un-recognition-palestinian-state">
Why does anti-Palestinian Reut Institute support UN recognition of
Palestinian “state”?</a>,” Ali Abunimah (31 May 2011)
<li>
“<a href="http://electronicintifada.net/content/case-un-recognition-palestine/10079">
The case for UN recognition of Palestine</a>,” Victor Kattan (13 June
2011)
<li>
“<a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/06/20116168535227628.html">
Palestinian statehood and bypassing Israel</a>,” Lamis Andoni, Al Jazeera
(16 June 2011)
<li>
“<a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/07/201172112546428589.html">
The PA and PLO are flirting with irrelevancy</a>,” Noura Erekat, Al
Jazeera (25 July 2011)
<li>
“<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/04/palestinians-secular-state">
Palestinians will soon come full circle</a>,” Sam Bahour, The
Guardian</i> (4 August 2011) </font>
</ul><br><br>
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