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U.N. approves Palestinian 'observer state' bid - CNN.com
By David Ariosto and Michael Pearson , CNN
November 30, 2012 -- Updated 0213 GMT (1013 HKT)
CNN.com
New York (CNN) -- The United Nations General Assembly on Thursday endorsed an
upgraded U.N. status for the Palestinian Authority, despite intense opposition
from the United States and Israel.
The resolution elevates their status from "non-member observer entity" to
"non-member observer state," the same category as the Vatican, which
Palestinians hope will provide new leverage in their dealings with Israel.
Its leaders had been working with dozens of supporting nations to develop a
formal draft, enlisting the backing of European countries such as France and
Spain.
The vote was 138 delegates in favor of the measure, nine against and 41
abstentions, including Germany.
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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the move, which many call
symbolic, represents a "last chance to save the two-state solution."
It comes on the heels of an eight-day conflict that raged between Israel and
Hamas fighters, where a series of airstrikes and rocket launches drew
international attention and threatened regional stability.
"We did not come here seeking to delegitimize a state established years ago,
and that is Israel; rather we came to affirm the legitimacy of the state that
must now achieve its independence, and that is Palestine," he said.
But Israel's U.N. ambassador Ron Prosor said the move largely ignores the
specifics of longstanding issues, such as settlements in disputed lands, and
cannot substitute for direct negotiations between Jerusalem and Ramallah.
This resolution "doesn't pursue peace," Prosor said, criticizing Abbas for
being unable to represent the Gaza Strip, where a Hamas-controlled government
presides.
"It pushes it backwards," he said.
The effort stalled last year when it became apparent that the bid could not get
the necessary support in the Security Council. Observer state status does not
require Security Council approval, unlike full membership recognition.
The observer status resolution needs only a majority of the U.N.'s 193 members
to approve.
Read more: Palestinian move at U.N. won't solve anything
The United States and Israel have remained steadfast in their opposition,
saying the move will not advance the cause of Middle East peace.
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice said American leaders could not support
a measure that circumvents direct talks and cautioned that Thursday's decision
did "not establish Palestine as a state."
Rice urged both sides to the resume direct negotiations without preconditions.
"Israel is prepared to live in peace with a Palestinian state," Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday. "But for peace to endure, Israel's
security must be protected, the Palestinians must recognize the Jewish state
and they must be prepared to end the conflict with Israel once and for all."
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev called the resolution "political
theater."
Opinion: Why U.S., Israel should welcome Palestinian move at U.N.
But Palestinian leaders have said they had the right to go to the U.N. because
Israel failed to comply with agreements signed more than two decades ago.
"It's about a contract. Our contract is that in five years, we should have
concluded the treaty of peace and all core issues. This did not happen, and
we're talking about 20 years later. And going to the U.N. is not a unilateral
step," Palestinian Authority chief negotiator Saeb Erakat said in September.
The last round of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority was
in 2010.
Erakat said the new status would eliminate Israeli justifications for building
settlements in the disputed areas of East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
But Israeli officials disagreed.
"No decision by the U.N. can break the 4,000-year-old bond between the people
of Israel and the land of Israel," Netanyahu said.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, however, threw his full support
behind the new status for the Palestinian Authority.
"What the Palestinians moved to do today in the U.N., I think is in basic line
with the strategy of a two-state solution," Olmert told CNN's Christiane
Amanpour on Thursday.
The peace process is completely stalled at the moment, but Olmert said Israel
must move rapidly toward a two-state solution. "Time is running out for Israel
more than for the Palestinians," he said.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who supports a two-state solution, said
Thursday's vote "underscores the urgency of a resumption of meaningful
negotiations."
"I urge the parties to renew their commitment to a negotiated peace," Ban said.
Meanwhile in Washington, Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak addressed his
country's relations with Iran and expressed doubt about sanctions against that
country. The United Nations' nuclear watchdog has said Iran is cooperating
enough in a review of its nuclear programs.
"I don't believe that these kinds of sanctions will bring them to a moment of
truth where they sit around a table and look at each others eyes and decide
that the game is over, they can't stand it anymore, they are going to give up
their nuclear intention," Barak said.
Barak was visiting U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, who noted how the
Israeli defense chief announced his retirement from political life. Panetta
praised Barak's "brilliant strategic mind" and "warrior heart."
CNN's Richard Roth, Anna-Maja Rappard at the United Nations and Michael
Martinez contributed to this report
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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