Palestine – let the UN farce end
The latest attempt by the Security Council to admit “the State of Palestine” to membership of the United Nations has been vetoed by America – whilst the Security Council refuses to even discuss an alternative solution – the Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine solution – which calls for the merger of Jordan, Gaza and part of the West Bank into one territorial entity.
Dry Bones Cartoon 31 January 2019 – Still true today
The United Nations (UN) is living in fairyland attempting to give legitimacy to the “The State of Palestine” which does not meet the legal criteria for statehood required under the 1933 Montevideo Convention.
The UN General Assembly (UNGA) has been complicit in promoting this fiction.
UNGA Resolution A/RES/73/5 – adopted on 16 October 2018 – put this illusory “State of Palestine” centre stage – recognising “the State of Palestine“ for one year as the public face of the Group of 77 (“the Bloc”) – containing 133 of the 193 member states of the UN – in all matters brought before the UNGA and at meetings of representatives of other major groups.
146 countries voted for this Resolution whilst only three – Israel, the U.S. and Australia – voted against, 15 countries abstained, and the remaining 29 states did not vote.
US Deputy UN Ambassador Jonathan Cohen called out the hypocrisy of the vote:
“We cannot support efforts by the Palestinians to enhance their status outside of direct negotiations. The United States does not recognize that there is a Palestinian state. … Only U.N. member states should be entitled to speak and act on behalf of major groups of states at the United Nations.”
Australia’s UN Ambassador Gillian Bird asserted:
“Australia’s decision to vote no on this resolution reflects our long-standing position that Palestinian attempts to seek recognition as a state in international fora are deeply unhelpful to efforts towards a two-state solution.”
The Handover Ceremony – from Egypt to “the State of Palestine” – took place in the presence of UNGA President Ms. Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, UN Secretary-General Mr António Guterres and Mahmoud Abbas – the self-styled “President of the State of Palestine” (formerly called “the Palestinian Authority” before Abbas unilaterally changed its name in 2013) and Bloc members.
Mr Guterres’ 12-minute speech contained this politically-charged statement:
“Palestine and its citizens have first-hand experience of some of the most challenging and dramatic global issues at force”
The Secretary General was waffling on about a “Palestine” that did not exist in any defined area, with no identifiable population as its citizens, no capital, and no current government – as required by the Montevideo Convention.
The Handover Ceremony included a 1 hour concert featuring live performances of Astor Piazolla’s “Oblivion”, a Brahms sonata for violin and piano, five works by three Egyptian composers extending over 26 minutes and just 4 minutes of “Palestinian folk songs” whose provenance was not mentioned in the program notes.
“Foreign Minister” of the “State of Palestine” Riyad Malki predicted:
“… we are confident that [the Bloc] will support the Palestinians when it [sic] time comes for negotiations and the US will find out that it cannot ignore Palestine.”
Five years after this stage-managed fiasco the two-state solution pushed by the UN since 23 December 2016 in Security Council Resolution 2334 still remains unattained: The creation of an independent State between Israel and Jordan.
When will the General Assembly and the Security Council start focusing on the Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine solution – whose implementation could end more than 100 years of conflict between Jews and Arabs?
The ongoing UN attempts to create the “State of Palestine” for the first time in recorded history is truly Theatre of the Absurd.
Please join my Facebook Page: “Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine supporters”
Author’s note: The cartoon — commissioned by the author — is by Yaakov Kirschen aka “Dry Bones”- one of Israel’s foremost political and social commentators — whose cartoons have graced the columns of Israeli and international media publications for decades.
David Singer is a Sydney lawyer and a foundation member of the International Analysts Network
The only benefit of the UN in the last 60 years is that it serves as a permanent and profound proof of Einstein’s theory about the infinity of human stupidity. There is no wonder that the Palestinians feel so comfortable within the UN, while Jews suffer every moment of contact with it.
Such a dangerous Theatre of the Absurd, too.