Saturday, September 24, 2011
UN vote on Palestine
Dr. Ahmed Jaber, perhaps a typical educated Palestinian-American, says whether you are for, or against the UN statehood bid, the fact is that it has raised more questions than answers.
“Is it going to make problems on the street in the West Bank and Gaza? Will there be a third intifada? What is really the 1967 border, does that exclude the Palestinians who were inside the Green line in 1948 Palestine? What will happen to them? Are we abandoning them? How about the right of return?” Jaber asked. “Whether this step is good for the Palestinians or not, I don’t know, we have to wait and see.”
But some Palestinians have described the UN vote as a "powder keg" that could set off further violent protests – which will almost certainly prompt a harsh reaction from the Israeli government, with consequences for all Palestinians.
"These people are crazy," said a minibus driver, shaking his head as he sped past the protesters fighting at Qalandia. "This vote at the United Nations, it is like a bomb waiting to explode."
IMO: Part of the trouble seems to be the present "veto" system at the UN, and there are many other problems. Why should once powerful but now declining countries like USA and Russia have veto rights. and to be honest, the idea of China having any veto rights at all, which I believe it does now, seems totally bizarre - the reasons are perhaps obvious, I hope so. And then there are factors like the Ostrogorski paradox, and the fact that even withinin the USA, the relative voting rights for individual States is still unclear and still contested. Probably Palestine will get some sort of minor recognition, but largely due to the US jewish lobby, not a lot. And even who is to say that that is bad ? But it is genuinely difficult to see a likely suitable conclusion and probably the UN should improve its arrangements.
“Is it going to make problems on the street in the West Bank and Gaza? Will there be a third intifada? What is really the 1967 border, does that exclude the Palestinians who were inside the Green line in 1948 Palestine? What will happen to them? Are we abandoning them? How about the right of return?” Jaber asked. “Whether this step is good for the Palestinians or not, I don’t know, we have to wait and see.”
But some Palestinians have described the UN vote as a "powder keg" that could set off further violent protests – which will almost certainly prompt a harsh reaction from the Israeli government, with consequences for all Palestinians.
"These people are crazy," said a minibus driver, shaking his head as he sped past the protesters fighting at Qalandia. "This vote at the United Nations, it is like a bomb waiting to explode."
IMO: Part of the trouble seems to be the present "veto" system at the UN, and there are many other problems. Why should once powerful but now declining countries like USA and Russia have veto rights. and to be honest, the idea of China having any veto rights at all, which I believe it does now, seems totally bizarre - the reasons are perhaps obvious, I hope so. And then there are factors like the Ostrogorski paradox, and the fact that even withinin the USA, the relative voting rights for individual States is still unclear and still contested. Probably Palestine will get some sort of minor recognition, but largely due to the US jewish lobby, not a lot. And even who is to say that that is bad ? But it is genuinely difficult to see a likely suitable conclusion and probably the UN should improve its arrangements.
# posted by uv : 4:46 AM
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