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In a diplomatic push for international recognition, Palestine is setting its sights on the UN Security Council, which could provide crucial support paving the way to its long-sought statehood.
In an interview with The National, Palestine’s ambassador to the UN, Riyad Mansour, said his government is not merely seeking any endorsement, but is aiming for a unanimous recommendation from the council, without a veto from any permanent member.
“We can live with an abstention,” he said, acknowledging the pragmatic approach the state of Palestine is willing to take to achieve its objectives.
Mr Mansour said the state of Palestine is seeking admission through the mechanisms of the UN and for the 1947 partition plan called for by the General Assembly to “become a reality”.
“One [Israel] has it,” he said. “The other one will be seeking it and hopefully will have it very soon.”
Mr Mansour expressed confidence in the support Palestine has in the Security Council and the backing from the General Assembly, given it is the “bigger house”.
A total of 139 of the 193 member states have recognised Palestine as a full-fledged sovereign state.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned last month during a Security Council meeting that refused to accept the Palestinians’ right to statehood “would indefinitely prolong a conflict that has become a major threat to global peace and security”.
Britain, which is one of several western nations that does not recognise Palestine as a sovereign state, recently called for the establishment of a diplomatic campaign by “all the friends of a Palestinian state” to make a two-state solution irreversible.
UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron recently wrote in an opinion piece in the Mail on Sunday that Britain and its allies can help by confirming their “commitment” to a sovereign, viable Palestinian state and their vision for its composition.
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“Crucially, we must state our clear intention to grant it recognition, including at the United Nations,” Lord Cameron said.
He said that the Palestinian leadership must help as well, by forming a new government which “can immediately start to deliver”.
Mr Mansour read Lord Cameron’s words “very closely” and said Palestine needs to engage the UK “extensively” on the issue so that “we can have the same understanding that it means the admission of the state of Palestine to membership”.
“Now, if that is possibly the position of the UK, we hope that it can influence the United States in that regard,” he said.
The shift in the drive for statehood began in November 2012, when 138 member states in the General Assembly voted to elevate Palestine’s status to that of a non-member observer state, meaning it can take part in General Assembly sessions and maintain offices at UN headquarters in New York.
It also began officially using the name “state of Palestine” for all purposes.
Today, Mr Mansour said Palestine needs to “receive a resolution from the Security Council recommending to the General Assembly to accept the state of Palestine as a [full] member, and therefore for the General Assembly to vote with two-thirds majority to approve that recommendation, which I believe we do have”.
Procedurally, only the Security Council can grant full recognition of a state and this cannot happen if one of the five permanent members vetoes its request.
For many years, the stance of the US – Israel’s closest ally – has been to oppose the recognition of Palestine as a state at the bilateral level and within UN bodies.
It has said that Palestinian statehood should be realised solely through direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
“We engaged everyone, including the United States, about two years ago on…
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