The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly today (November 29, 2012) 138-9 -- with 41 abstentions -- to grant Palestine non-member observer state status, according to the USA Today website. The nine nations that voted against Palestine's UN recognition were: Israel, the United States, Canada, the Czech Republic, Panama, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, and Palau.
"We are here for a final serious attempt to achieve peace," Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas told General Assembly delegates before the vote. "Not to end the negotiation process....rather to breathe new life into the negotiation process."
Abbas went forward despite appeals to postpone the request, which the United States and Israel claim will only make negotiations for a permanent state less likely to happen. Both the U.S. and Israel had threatened Abbas with losing much financial aid Palestine has been receiving, if he went ahead and and sought Palestinian recognition by the UN.
Hanan Ashrawi -- a senior official of the Palestine Liberation Organization and a former peace negotiator -- said upgrading Palestinian status in the United Nations from observer to non-member state status will "enshrine our right to self-determination and statehood" and "help prevent Israel from destroying the chances of peace." She added that Israel is working against peace by annexing Jerusalem and building a security barrier on land that should belong in a Palestinian state.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment