Palestine Statehood a distant dream

The UN Security Council (UNSC) has again failed to pass a proposal to establish Palestine as an independent state and to end Israeli occupation of the West Bank by 2017 through negotiation processes.

The Council includes five permanent members who hold veto power and ten additional members who serve two-year terms. In order for the resolution to be adopted, nine countries would have to vote for the Palestinian proposal. While eight countries namely Argentina, Chad, Chile, China, France, Jordan, Luxembourg, Russia backed the resolution, the United States and Australia opposed it and other nations like the United Kingdom, Nigeria, South Korea, Rwanda and Lithuania abstained from the resolution. Only one of the nine members needed to pass the resolution in the absence of a veto by any of the Council’s five permanent members. The US, a permanent member of the council, used its veto power and rendered the Palestinian proposal ineffective. It had earlier said that it would oppose any proposal that would keep a time frame on concept of Palestine’s statehood. Twenty two Arab countries, represented by Jordan in the Security Council, agreed to support the Palestine’s proposal for a “full and phased withdrawal of Israeli forces” since 1967 by 2017 and called for statehood for Palestine within a 12 month time frame. The proposal also envisaged a “just solution” to the status of Jerusalem as a “shared capital” or the capital of the two states.

The proposal was reminiscent of the earlier resolutions and the Madrid conference related to the Palestinian matter. Therefore the eighth resolution would not make any considerable difference to the Palestinian people. The Zionist nation has always turned a deaf ear towards the UN requests and the appeals of the international community as well as the silent cries of the innocent Palestinians. The reasons for Israel’s relentless and brutal intrusions are only due to the Western backing and influence.

The President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, had urged Jordan to pass the resolution targeting statehood for Palestine. But his recent moves have perplexed not only Israel, the US and his European patrons but also his own people. Abbas has failed Palestinians by becoming unsuccessful in achieving peaceful negotiations with Israel thereby delaying further, the much anticipated statehood of Palestine. The alliance with Hamas last April had angered Israel who broke off peace negotiations with Palestinians. Abbas is a mere puppet at the hands of America and Israel and is only concerned about pulling down Hamas, the organization that had put up a brave and relentless struggle against the Israelis. He has also been reportedly involved with Israel and the current President of Egypt, Al Sisi for this purpose.

Hamas has asked Palestine to withdraw the draft resolution stating that the proposal liquidates the just Palestinian cause as it “includes crucial concessions on legitimate rights” of the people. It claimed that the question of the Palestinian refugees as well as other significant issues were missing from the draft. Hamas also maintained that Jerusalem should be Palestine’s capital alone and not a shared one. The Western powers have succeeded in dismissing off the resolution despite the watering down of the demands by the authorities. The Palestinians covet for freedom, peace and an international recognition as an independent state and this would be accomplished only through strong perseverance.