The backing of 138
nations at the UN can be seen as resounding worldwide support for the
Palestinian people. There is little doubt that the majority of the
world’s people share Palestinian grievances over long-denied justice,
territorial and refugee rights and the historic injuries inflicted by
the Israeli colonial regime and its European and American sponsors.
Conversely, the UN vote can be seen as a global snub to the Zionist entity and its relentless criminality. Those states that stood in the rogue minority camp of nine along with Tel Aviv, including the United States and Canada, have indeed indicted themselves with infamy.
Nonetheless, the support among the UN General Assembly for Palestinians can be seen as a double-edged sword.
Beyond the welcome symbolic endorsement for the Palestinian cause, there should be some hard and rational reflection on the practical meaning of the “non-member observer status” awarded. First of all, there is a danger that the designation will in practice result in the institutionalization of second-class status for the Palestinian people. After decades of violations and treachery, it is understandable that the recent vote at the UN is celebrated as a sign of international solidarity, respect and endorsement of the Palestinian cause.
But why should the Palestinian people settle for any thing less than full member status at the UN? The rather clumsy-sounding “non-member observer status” sounds like a pale imitation of the real thing, and in fact can be perceived as an insult to the cause of Palestine, even if those countries voting for it meant the designation in good will.
Let’s face it: the current Palestinian territories of West Bank and Gaza and a diminishing presence in Al Quds/East Jerusalem represent only 22 per cent of the original territory. And the gradualist, criminal theft and encroachment of Palestinian land by the Israeli regime continue unabated, making a mockery of international law.-[Full Article]
