UNITED NATIONS, New York (Press Release) — In the past few days, the Palestinians have been promoting a move to upgrade their status as a Non-State Observer to a Member State with the right to vote in the UN. Last week, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki stated that the Palestinians would appeal to the Security Council in January, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas planned to visit the UN headquarters in New York to help advance the request.
Israel’s Ambassador Danny Danon, in cooperation with a number of friendly nations, led a diplomatic effort to thwart the Palestinian initiative. He also spoke with some members of the Security Council, stressing that the PA does not meet the fundamental conditions of permanent membership in the UN because of its clear policy of paying salaries to terrorists and the public incitement campaign it leads against Israel in textbook and social networks.
In light of the Israeli campaign that would save the need for the US to issue a veto in the Security Council, it appears that the Palestinians realize that the likelihood of the proposal passing has been significantly diminished. Accordingly, the purpose of Abu Mazen is now likely to take part in a side event the Palestinians will hold, rather than to promote the upgraded status process.
“We exposed the hypocrisy of the Palestinians,” Danon said. “They continue to pay terrorists every month and to encourage violence and incitement against Israel; therefore, they are very far from meeting the definition of a ‘peace loving’ state. The PA continues to error in its attempt to establish facts on the ground through unilateral moves while it has not abandoned the path of terror.”
The process to become a Member State of the United Nations is determined by conditions and procedures contained in the UN Charter. The first is a substantive condition, that the requesting state should be “peace loving” and be able and willing to assume the obligations imposed on it by virtue of the UN Charter. The second relates to the procedural requirement of a recommendation from 9 of the 15 Security Council member states and then the approval of the General Assembly by a two-thirds majority of its Member States.
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Preceding provided by the Israeli Mission to the United Nations
The Palestinians have most glaringly failed to meet the Weberian test of state building–maintaining state monopoly over the means of violence–by consciously enabling the existence of various armed militias that have spread widespread mayhem and chaos (or fawda, as they call it).