With what appears to be a backroom deal cut in the halls of the UN, it appears as if the UN Security Council vote on a Palestinian state is going to be delayed for a few months. It is clear from my perspective that the world leaders are having a very hard time dealing with this burdensome stone that is Jerusalem. Having said that, this appears to be only a delay, and not a change in direction as Palestinian President Abbas is still planning on formally submitting an application for statehood to the UN Security Council later this week. The agreement is that there will simply be a delay in the vote.
The quartet (comprising the US, EU, UN and Russia) would then be tasked with trying to convince Israel and the Palestinians to return to the negotiation table in hope that they will somehow come to some sort of peace agreement through negotiation rather than UN mandate. This process in my humble opinion seems destined for failure as there seems to be no reason for the Palestinians to return to the negotiation table. Why should they when they can simply wait the allotted time and then force a vote later at the UN Security Council?
Prophetically speaking it is really hard to tell how this all going to come together, but this potential delay has little to do with the overall problem and solution. God's timing is everything of course, but as of now it appears as if we might have to wait a little while longer for major prophetic events to start. This of course could all change later today, tomorrow or next week, the breaking news on this is that fluid as the story seems to change hourly.
So, stay tuned.
Curt
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The Palestinian leadership has signaled its willingness to delay a Security Council vote on their bid for statehood by "several months", raising hopes that a major confrontation with Israel and the United States could still be averted.
Palestinian officials said they were unlikely to raise objections to a compromise offer being advanced by the Middle East Quartet, comprising the US, EU, UN and Russia, that would postpone an incendiary debate on the initiative at the UN for a "substantial" period.
Under a face-saving deal being discussed on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, would still be able formally to submit his application for statehood, thereby laying down a historical marker and ensuring that the bid cannot be quietly forgotten.
In return, Mr Abbas would not seek to expedite a debate at the Security Council, where the United States has threatened to wield its veto, giving mediators the chance to try to revive peace talks between the Palestinians and Israel.
Signs of a breakthrough came just 48 hours before Mr Abbas was due to address the General Assembly to set out the case for Palestinian statehood, a speech that is still expected to be delivered unchanged.
Although hopes for a compromise could still collapse, signs of Palestinian flexibility after days of defiance will be seen by encouraging by the United States and its European allies.
"The important thing for us is to submit our application as planned," a senior Palestinian official said. "After that, we are prepared to be reasonable. We understand that things can take time. If the process is going to take some months, we are happy to let things take their course."For more go here...
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