Arabs pledge to lobby for Palestinian UN membership

CAIRO (AFP) -- Arab foreign ministers agreed in a meeting attended by President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday to marshal support for a Palestinian bid for UN membership this month despite Israeli and US opposition.

Abbas, who backed out of US-sponsored negotiations with Israel because of its settlement construction in occupied Palestinian lands, is expected to make the request when the UN General Assembly opens on September 20.

Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi said in a press conference after the meeting that "consultations and communications will continue in order to reach the goal" of Palestinian UN membership.

Before the meeting, Abbas had meet EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton in Cairo, where Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- a fervent supporter of the Palestinian cause -- arrived Monday night to begin an "Arab Spring" tour.

Ashton attended part of the meeting, to inform the ministers of the Arab League's Follow Up Committee on the Middle East peace process of the EU's position on the Palestinian bid.

Egypt's official news agency, the Arabic language MENA, reported that Ashton, on leaving the meeting, said the EU supported a Palestinian state achieved through "negotiations."

Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian negotiator, said at the joint press conference with Arabi that UN membership would not preclude negotiations with Israel, blaming Israel's settlement construction for the stalled talks.

"On the contrary [UN membership] lays the foundation for the principle of two states," Erekat said.

He added that a task force set up in a previous Arab ministerial meeting headed by Qatar and including Egypt, Jordan and several other countries would work constantly to lobby international support for UN membership.

Washington said it would veto any bid to the Security Council, arguing that a Palestinian state should be created only through negotiations.

If that happens the Palestinians say they will turn to the General Assembly, where they expect to easily win votes to upgrade their representation from current observer status to non-member state.

Abbas told a Jordanian newspaper the Palestinians would bid for UN membership "despite the obstacles and dangers, including US threats to halt 470 million dollars in annual assistance."

Shaath told Egyptian television the Palestinians expect to garner "more than 160 votes" at the General Assembly and "will continue to knock on the door until we get [full] membership."

Under UN rules, any bid for full membership requires a recommendation from the Security Council and then a two-thirds majority in the 193-member General Assembly.

Non-member status would require only a straight majority in the General Assembly where no veto is possible.

Abbas has already received hefty support Friday from UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who said Palestinian statehood was "long overdue". He received Russia's backing on Monday.

"We will, of course, be voting for any of the Palestinians' proposals," Russia's UN envoy Vitaly Churkin was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

"But I must say that we are not pushing them into it. We are saying that 'Whatever you decide to do, we will support you'," Churkin said.

With Israel and the United States staunchly resisting the Palestinian plan, Europe remains divided.

"What we're very clear about from the European Union is that the way forward is negotiations," Ashton told reporters after meeting Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr.

Ashton, who will head to Israel after the meeting, said the EU wanted to see "the people of Palestine and the people of Israel living side by side in peace and security."

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, meanwhile, urged Abbas to tread carefully in his UN bid, warning that such a strategy could ultimately harm peace efforts, a statement from his office said.

Erdogan will on Tuesday address an expanded Arab League ministerial meeting and meet Egyptian officials.

The Turkish premier will also visit Tunisia and Libya, where popular uprisings such as that in Egypt have toppled longstanding autocratic regimes. He is working to forge stronger ties with Arab nations as Ankara's relations with Israel sour.

Turkey has expelled the Israeli ambassador over the storming by Israeli naval commandos last year of a convoy of ships trying to reach Gaza in defiance of the blockade, killing nine Turks.

Egypt's relations with Israel chilled further after protesters ransacked the Israeli embassy in Cairo overnight Friday, forcing the ambassador to flee in the worst incident since the two countries signed a 1979 peace treaty.

Ties have been strained since the killing of six Egyptian policemen on their common border last month as Israel hunted militants after a deadly attack.


Source:maannews.net

Fatah, Hamas recall 18 years of failed Oslo Accords

RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- Senior Fatah official Mohammad Shtayyeh on Tuesday called on the international community to assume its responsibilities toward the Palestinian people.

In a statement marking the 18th anniversary of the signing of Oslo I between the PLO and Israel, Shtayyeh reiterated the rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and freedom.

"Today we commemorate 18 years since the launch of a process that was supposed to lead us to freedom and independence. It was meant to last only for a transitional period of five years.

"Unfortunately, almost two decades later, the Israeli occupation of Palestine is entrenched and Israel’s occupation has turned into de facto annexation," said the senior Fatah leader.

Shtayyeh noted that from 1993 until 2011, Israel’s settler population more than doubled in the occupied West Bank. Through the wall and bypass roads, settlements effectively control almost half the West Bank.

"Eighteen years ago, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that he was going to kill the Oslo Accords. Today, we can say that Mr. Netanyahu has all but succeeded in his aim," Shtayyeh said.

Hamas, meanwhile, in a similar statement marking the anniversary of the signing, said it "was the most dangerous agreement on the Palestinian cause and the rights of our people."

The time has come to "work to overthrow" the agreements, Hamas said.

It called for "establishing a new era of national unity, building up a unified Palestinian front and a wise, unified and powerful leadership to face all the upcoming challenges," the German press agency DPA reported.

Under the 1995 Oslo 2 agreement, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators outlined a plan for Palestinian autonomy allowing administrative and security control of around 17.2 percent of the West Bank, Area A.

The rest of the West Bank and Gaza Strip remained under Israeli military occupation.

The interim deal was intended to lead to a final status agreement by 1999, but a permanent solution was never reached and frequent incursions by the Israeli army into Area A have undermined the agreement.

On Friday, the Palestinian village of Nabi Saleh near Ramallah held a mock funeral for the Oslo Accords as part of its weekly demonstration, a Ma'an correspondent said.

Participants waved flags with the logo of "The state of Palestine 194" as they marched through the village carrying a black coffin with the words "Oslo Accords" written on it.

The protesters were met by Israeli forces who fired tear gas and sound grenades at the rally.

The Palestinian leadership in Ramallah is set to ask the UN this month to formally admit the state of Palestine as a member, in a bid strongly opposed by Israel and the US.

Some Israeli officials are threatening to cancel the Oslo agreement in response, although the threat carries less weight than it might have a decade ago.

"I wish they would do that," said Palestinian lawmaker Mustafa Barghouti.

Source:maannews.net

UNRWA chief on Palestinian statehood and beyond

JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- As the debate intensifies over the bid for recognition at the UN of a Palestinian state, questions are being raised about UNRWA, the UN agency mandated to bring education, health, relief and social services to as many as five million refugees pending a resolution of their plight.

What will the future hold for refugees following the statehood discussions? And what about the continuation of services provided to refugees? For answers, Ma'an turned to the Commissioner General of UNRWA, Filippo Grandi.

Ma'an: How does the Palestinian bid for recognition and full UN membership affect UNRWA and the plight of the refugees registered with your agency?

Grandi: The aspiration for Palestinian statehood, an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and a just and durable solution to the plight of Palestine refugees are distinct objectives, albeit closely related. A bid for statehood does not in and of itself address the plight of the refugees.

We have long advocated that refugees' legitimate rights and aspirations should be addressed and accommodated in the context of discussions between political actors, including the parties - discussions that must be based on international law and UN resolutions and reflect the informed views and choices of the refugees.

There is no doubt in my mind that there can be no just and durable peace in the Middle East unless some five million refugees are brought out of their 63-year state of dispossession and exile. Here we come to a broad range of rights, which we continue to say must be addressed by the parties and in discussion with the refugees. UNRWA does not make specific recommendations about how these rights are to be achieved, but we do say that those rights must be realized.

This is in complete conformity with international law and refugee practice. So, as the statehood debate intensifies, I would encourage all concerned to bear Palestine refugees in mind and to remember that the refugees will play a key role in a political order based on two States living side by side in peace and dignity, and in a comprehensive and just solution to the conflict negotiated by the parties.

Ma'an: There has been much debate about UNRWA's work, the possibility the agency is reducing services, particularly its emergency programs. Do you accept that the statehood debate has increased the fears and concerns of the refugees?

Grandi: You are right. I am acutely aware that the statehood debate has generated fresh anxiety among refugees regarding the future. Allow me to go some way to allaying those fears. By the same token that the statehood debate does not in and of itself deal with the question of the refugees, the need for UNRWA's work also remains paramount and so does the imperative to ensure that our programs are fully funded, whatever the outcome of the coming months.

UNRWA will continue with its mandated services and programs until such time that there is a just and durable solution for the refugees. Our core services in education, health, relief and social services will continue in earnest and I remain a positive and passionate advocate for this. Everyone including the donors is aware of this. On our emergency programs, the need for which continues as the humanitarian needs of refugees persist, we are stepping up our fund raising efforts.

I am renewing an appeal this week for substantial funds. As of today, we are asking our donors for $36 million for our emergency work in Gaza. Of that $36 million -- $11 million is for creating temporary employment, $16 million for food assistance, $6 million is for school feeding and $3 million will be spent on community mental health. We have already approached some major donors with this new appeal and I will do everything in my power to make sure that these programs are funded.

I am aware that our emergency work in Gaza is facing a critical situation and all of our donors and other stakeholders are aware that this situation is unsustainable and needs to be dealt with immediately and as an urgent priority.

Ma'an: If the statehood bid fails, are you concerned that there will be an increase in violence, that the facts on the ground will change and that Palestinians will lose faith in the peace process and return to other means to achieve their goals?

Grandi: I have to say that the threat of Palestinians and Israelis being killed and injured in more violence has to be worrying to someone like me who is committed to humanitarian principles, the upholding of international law and the ideals of non-violent change. Whatever the outcome of the statehood bid, I would like to extend heartfelt appeals at three levels.

First, I appeal to all parties and concerned actors to exercise the utmost restraint in their reactions and to refrain from threats and acts of violence of any kind, bearing in mind that the Palestinian people -- refugees and non-refugees alike -- have had enough of armed conflict, political confrontations, human rights violations and suffering.

Second, all concerned must recognize that the statehood bid and its outcomes must not distract from addressing the pressing issues of rights, freedoms and liberties that remain outstanding, particularly in the occupied Palestinian territory. The occupation itself must be addressed, and with it settler violence, settlement expansion, demolitions and displacements in the West Bank, and the Gaza blockade, which the International Committee of the Red Cross has described as a clear violation of international humanitarian law.

For many years, UNRWA's advocacy against these violations has been consistent and determined and we will not flag in our efforts in this regard.

Third, the parties and the international community must renew with greater urgency the search for a negotiated solution to the conflict, one which comprehensively addresses all outstanding issues, including the refugee issue, in a manner consistent with UN resolutions and international law.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is as complex and intractable as any the world has known. Yet solutions would be possible if political actors were to engage the issues and fulfill their obligations in principled, courageous and compassionate ways. The outcomes from the statehood bid will leave intact the obligations of the parties and the responsibility of the international community to continue pressing for a fair and just solution to the conflict.

I believe that the legendary fortitude of the Palestinian people and their refusal to be daunted by overwhelming odds will carry them through the coming months and enable them to derive positive outcomes regardless. Rest assured that UNRWA, on its part, will remain steadfast in its commitment to serve the humanitarian and human development needs of Palestine refugees until a just and lasting solution is found to their plight.

Source:maannews.net