Today in a speech, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced that he would seek membership for a Palestinian state at the United Nations Security Council next week. This has occurred after months of diplomatic work from the US and EU trying to persuade Abbas to return to direct negotiations with Israel towards a two state solution instead of a unilateral approach.
If you have been following this closely over the the last few years then today's news should not shock you. You see in July of 2009, Javier Solana then the High Representative for the EU, stated in a speech of his own (see my blog entry dated July 12, 2009) that "After a fixed deadline, a U.N. Security Council resolution should proclaim the adoption of the two-state solution." He went on to say "It would accept the Palestinian state as a full member of the U.N., and set a calendar for implementation. It would mandate the resolution of other remaining territorial disputes and legitimize the end of claims."
This idea was received very well by many within the international community and especially by the Palestinians. Not long after this, the "fixed deadline" in the Palestinians mind was the UN Security Council in September of 2011. Since this speech by Javier Solana the peace process has essentially gone no where.
Keep in mind that this state as it is being discussed now, would be created along the 1967 borders, which would include areas such as the Temple Mount and East Jerusalem. So, if a Palestinian State is created in the next few weeks, we as Christians must be aware that this could lead to the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy and the return of Christ.
Watch the news closely over the next few weeks and pray.
Stay Tuned
Curt
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
JERUSALEM — The Palestinian president announced Friday that he would seek membership for a Palestinian state at the United Nations Security Council next week, a move strongly opposed by Israel and the United States that adds significant tension to one of the most intractable conflicts in the Middle East.
The move by the president, Mahmoud Abbas, constitutes a new Palestinian strategy 20 years after the start of peace negotiations with Israel, which have failed to produce an agreement. It confirmed an approach that frustrated Palestinian officials have been moving toward for months.
American, Israeli and European diplomats have struggled to dissuade Mr. Abbas and his aides from taking such a step, and his decision to proceed anyway represents what could become a foreign policy debacle for the Obama administration.
“We need to have full membership at the UN ,” Mr. Abbas said in his announcement during a speech at his headquarters in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank , broadcast live on Al Jazeera and other outlets. “We need a state, a seat at the United Nations.”
He added: “We are going to the Security Council,” as Palestinian dignitaries gave him a rousing applause and standing ovation. Mr. Abbas called it “our decision, which we have conveyed to everyone.”
The United States has said it will use its veto at the Security Council to stop any Palestinian statehood bid, adhering to the American-Israeli view that the only way to achieve peace is through direct talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. Each side maintains that the other presents the obstacles to negotiations.
The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel issued a brief statement after the speech, saying “Peace will not be achieved by a unilateral approach to the United Nations.”
Mr. Abbas said the application would demand recognition of a state along the borders of Israel prior to the 1967 war, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israel has said those borders are indefensible and would make further negotiations with the Palestinians even more difficult, because no Palestinian leader will be able to accept less than the state that is recognized by the United Nations.
For more go here...
No comments:
Post a Comment