From: Sid Shniad France plans 'yes' vote on Palestinian statehood at UNGeneral Assembly * http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Foreign+Minister+France+plans+vote+Palestin ian+statehood/7615195/story.html
* *Vancouver Sun November 27, 2012 * France plans 'yes' vote on Palestinian statehood at UN General Assembly *By Jamey Keaten, The Associated Press* PARIS - France announced Tuesday that it plans to vote in favour 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 favour, 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. As French lawmakers applauded Tuesday- many of them members or allies of the Socialist-led government - Fabius cautioned against raising Palestinian hopes too high. "But, but, but, but, but - but at the same time, madame and monsieur lawmakers, we must show in this case a lot of lucidity," he said. "On the one hand, because the text is currently being discussed, and I myself had (Palestinian) President Mahmoud Abbas on the phone yesterday morning," he said. "On the other hand, because - let's not hide from this - that this question will be asked at a very delicate moment." He went on to note the "fragile cease-fire" after the recent deadly fighting between Hamas and Israel, the Israeli election in January, and the upcoming "change in composition of the American administration" - with the United States seen by many as perhaps the most pivotal player in the region. "In any case, it's only through negotiations - that we ask for without conditions and immediately between the two sides - that we will be able to reach the realization of a Palestinian state," Fabius said. * * * http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/humiliating-defeat-forces-gilla rd-to-back-down-over-palestinian-vote-20121127-2a5vc.html Sydney Morning Herald November 28, 2012 * Humiliating defeat forces Gillard to back down over Palestinian vote *Israel's policy of allowing continuing expansion of Israeli settlements was sabotaging peace and Israel's friends had to send it a message - former prime minister Bob Hawke* *Peter Hartcher * THE Prime Minister was braced for a frontal assault from the Opposition about her past, but she didn't expect the spontaneous revolt from her own party over her support for Israel. Julia Gillard relied on her authority as Prime Minister when she decided on Monday that Australia would vote in support of Israel in a forthcoming ballot in the United Nations, but her authority proved inadequate. Gillard overruled the strong advice of her Foreign Affairs Minister, Bob Carr, and the overwhelming opinion of her cabinet to insist on her position. This set off a firestorm. The uprising was led by Bob Carr. ''He was on the ring-a-round,'' canvassing support for his position, said a factional convener. ''I've never seen a Cabinet minister stand up to a prime minister like that.'' But after being advised that she was about to face a full Caucus revolt on the matter on Tuesday, Gillard capitulated. Importantly, the bedrock support base for Gillard in the Caucus, the Right faction, split. While the Victorian bloc of the Right wanted to bind all the faction's votes nationally in support of the Prime Minister, the NSW group refused. It was a rare and humiliating backdown for a prime minister. And it was an important marker in Australian political sentiment about the impassioned dispute between Israel and the Palestinians. Gillard had insisted that Australia vote against giving Palestine observer status in the UN General Assembly; her party forced her to change Australia's position to abstaining instead. Only seven countries are expected to vote against the move to upgrade Palestinian recognition - Israel, the US, Canada, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and the Marshall Islands. If Gillard had prevailed, Australia would have been the eighth. Ten ministers representing both Labor factions spoke against the Prime Minister's stated position in a long Cabinet debate; Tony Burke, Chris Bowen, Bob Carr, Simon Crean, Craig Emerson, Martin Ferguson, and Peter Garrett from the Right and Anthony Albanese, Mark Butler and Greg Combet from the Left. Only two spoke in support of Gillard's position; Stephen Conroy and Bill Shorten, both from the Right. In the debate, it was pointed out that one of Labor's staunchest friends of Israel, the former prime minister Bob Hawke, had been on the phone urging ministers to cast Australia's vote as an abstention. Israel's policy of allowing continuing expansion of Israeli settlements on was sabotaging peace, Hawke argued, and Israel's friends had to send it a message. After Bob Carr got his way, he was the first to go public in defence of his leader. It was not a humiliation but a textbook case of a leader heeding the party, said Carr. Which is one way of putting it. _______________________________________________ Rad-Green mailing list [email protected] To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://greenhouse.economics.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green ----- ----- No virus found in this message. 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