Sixty-five years to the day after the UN voted for the partition of mandatory Palestine – a move the Jews accepted and the Arabs rejected – the same body overwhelmingly voted on Thursday to grant the Palestinian delegation the upgraded status of non-member observer state.
The vote was 138 in favor, nine against and 41 abstaining.
“The moment has arrived for the world to say clearly: Enough of aggression, settlements and occupation,” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said to the packed UN General Assembly.
“We did not come here seeking to delegitimize a state established years ago, and that is Israel; rather we came to affirm the legitimacy of the state that must now achieve its independence, and that is Palestine,” he said.
Read more here:
Rights groups launch petition to thank Stevie Wonder for canceling Israel army benefit gig
http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/rights-groups-launch-petition-thank-stevie-wonder-canceling-israel-army-benefit
Palestinian rights activists have welcomed a decision by Stevie Wonder to cancel a scheduled 6 December performance at a Los Angeles fundraiser for Friends of the IDF (FIDF), an organization that raises money for the Israeli army.
The US Campaign to End the Occupation and the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel which had campaigned for Stevie Wonder to pull out, called on people to sign a petition thanking the music legend for his move.
“As a diverse group of people of conscience and organizations around the world, it is with great joy that we applaud your decision to cancel your performance for the Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces,” the petition begins.
Keep on Pushing, Palestinian people…
The 9 countries that voted against Palestine and their reasons:
http://wapo.st/VaKk7s
After UN votes to recognize Palestine, Israel approves 3,000 new housing units in West Bank:
http://wapo.st/Yf4fcZ
This move of Palestine to an nonmember observer state is a step. I agree 100% with NCW & SG2 on PBO motives. His decisions are not made lightly but are very DELIBERATE.
Now can we get Palestine to recognize Israel’s right to exist and Israel to stop building settlements….
Or try Netanyahu for war crimes..
Palestine joins the UN: So what next?
Palestinians rallied in support of the resolution ahead on the UN vote [Reuters]
http://blogs.aljazeera.com/blog/middle-east/palestine-joins-un-so-what-next
After nearly 18 months of diplomatic drama, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas finally got a victory, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to recognise Palestine as a “non-member observer state”.
It is a symbolic victory, and a counterpoint to the fiasco last year when Abbas pursued full membership in the world body, which requires approval of the Security Council. The Palestinians could not wrangle enough votes to even bring the matter to a vote.
So what now? I asked that question – what will you do on November 30? – to a range of Palestinian officials and analysts over the past few days.
Their unanimous answer was not to answer. “Let’s leave that until the day after,” said Husam Zumlot, a senior member of the Palestine Liberation Organisation. “I don’t want to speculate,” said Hanan Ashrawi, another PLO official. And so on, perhaps with good reason: The diplomatic upgrade carries few tangible benefits.
The most significant is that the Palestinians could ratify the Rome Statute and accede to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which would allow them to bring cases against Israelis – for war crimes committed in Gaza, perhaps, or for the ongoing construction of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.
I know that President Obama is going to get a lot of heat for the U.S.’ vote against Palestinian statehood today. And I can certainly understand why. But here’s my two cents on why I think we need to trust President Obama on this one. I posted this comment a little while ago on theobamadiary.com:.
I’ll be honest here: my knowledge is very limited on this historical turmoil between Israel and Palestine. Sad to say, but I have not prioritized it as top among issues that truly concern me personally. While I know very little about the details of this ongoing Middle East crisis, I DO know a lot about President Barack Obama. And I KNOW that our President is an honorable man who truly believes in the betterment, welfare, and fair & humane treatment of ALL people–not just people here in this country but throughout the world.
I know today’s U.S. vote against Palestinian statehood looks bad from a moral standpoint, :( but I also believe there’s a hidden but MORAL agenda behind this vote—at least from the President’s standpoint. I think we should trust President Obama on this one; I don’t believe he will–in the end — sell humanity short.
I don’t believe President Obama is being “hoodwinked” or “controlled” by Israel either. I believe he knows exactly what is going on; he knows the strings attached; and he is well aware of how awful this all looks. I also believe he is approaching this monumental issue delicately–as delicately as he has approached ending the war in Iraq and soon ending the war in Afghanistan. Just look at how few of the international leaders who shared the world stage with our President just four years ago are still sharing that stage today. Nearly all of the ousted ones were men of questionable morals in terms of how they treated their own people or humanity in general. I believe both Netanyahu’s regime’s and the party of Hamas’ days are numbered—as are other evildoers. It’s just a matter of time.
I have no problem with people who voice their opinions against the U.S. vote on this matter. Those voices need to be heard by our President, whom I believe wants to hear those voices– both for and against! At the same time, I just think we should also keep in mind WHO we have as our leader. When it comes down to the final analysis of critical matters that he has dealt with—nationally or internationally–President Obama has NOT yet disappointed me in the end—not even once.
I was thinking the same thoughts, NCW! He must have a hidden moral agenda. I have listened to his speech given in Cairo many times over about a 2 state solution. I am going to have to trust him on this.
It’s about freak’in time, great editorial by NYT, good show by UWCH at MSNBC this pass wind… why the U.S continues this dance with opposition baffles me.
A Palestinian girl waves a flag during a rally supporting the Palestinian U.N. bid for observer state status, in the West bank city of Ramallah, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. The Palestinians are certain to win U.N. recognition as a state on Thursday but success could exact a high price
Palestinians celebrate UN statehood vote
http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_22088502/israeli-official-downplays-palestinian-un-bid
RAMALLAH, West Bank—Palestinians erupted in wild cheers Thursday, hugging each other, setting off fireworks and chanting “God is great” after the United Nations granted them, at least formally, what they have long yearned for—a state of their own.
The historic General Assembly decision to accept “Palestine” as a non-member observer state won’t immediately change lives here, since much of the territory of that state—the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem—remains under Israeli control.
Yet many Palestinians savored the massive global recognition—138 of 193 General Assembly members voted “yes”—following decades of setbacks in the quest for Palestinian independence in lands Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast War.