CMEP Bulletin: New violence, political maneuvering ahead of UN session, and more

CMEP weekly update

New Palestinian Statehood Bid at the UN General Assembly This Fall

There were mixed signals this week about whether Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will ask the UN General Assembly this fall to give recognition to a Palestinian state as a UN  non-member state. UNGA recognition of a Palestinian state, even if as a non-member state, would give Palestinians greater authority in UN bodies to bring complaints against Israel. This move is strongly opposed by Israel and the U.S.

It was said at first that Abbas would mention the idea of UNGA recognition in his speech to the UN, but not move the question to a vote so as not to embarrass the U.S. and risk a cut off of U.S. assistance just prior to the U.S. elections. Later statements left it unclear whether or not the Palestinian Authority would call for a vote on recognition in the UNGA. Abbas is under political pressure from his Palestinian constituencies to show positive results from cooperation with Israel and the U.S. on security measures in the face of continued Israeli occupation. But he is also under strong countervailing political pressure from the U.S. upon which the PA depends for political and economic assistance. Recognition of a Palestinian state by UNESCO last year was costly, as Congress suspended the annual contribution from the U.S. to UNESCO of several millions of dollars. The funding cut forced UNESCO to suspend a number of projects.

Click here to continue reading this CMEP Bulletin, including the following items:

• Palestinian poltics, Iran, and the Non-Aligned Movement
• Violence continues, arrests made, new anti-hate education effort
• Verdict in case of death of Rachel Corrie
• Migron evacuation ordered
• Gaza growing