End the Palestinian charade

Op-ed: Palestinian statehood bid embarrassing, ultimate proof of UN’s moral decay

Yigal Walt|Published: 09.20.11 , 00:30

Many experts have already noted that the Palestinian Authority lacks much of the basic conditions that one would expect of a functioning state. However, the latest developments and revelations ahead of the PA’s statehood bid highlight how thoroughly embarrassing and morally flawed it is.

On Sunday, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh slammed the UN bid, resolutely declaring that “No leadership has the right to toy with the Palestinians' rights or serve up concessions." These words underscore the fact that Abbas represents, at best, half of the Palestinians, has no control whatsoever over the Gaza Strip, and continues to serve as president with no legal authority, after his presidential term expired long ago with no elections being held.

Who exactly does Abbas represent? And what significance, if at all, do any of his moves carry given that the strongest camp within Palestinian society shuns him and his leadership?

Meanwhile, the Palestinian president again proved he is utterly unprepared to make the compromises needed for statehood and peace, rejecting Sunday the recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. His failure to adopt even this most basic notion leaves no hope for peace to prevail.

The latest developments raise more question marks about much of the world’s willingness of support the Palestinian bid. However, a revealing Yedioth Ahronoth interview with Israel’s UN Ambassador Ron Prosor sheds light on the extraneous, shocking considerations behind the upcoming UN vote.

Arab threats

In an interview published this past weekend, envoy Prosor revealed that many UN representatives will be voting in favor of the Palestinians due to internal politics and the desire to secure a spot on various UN committees.

“You see the interests in every conversation,” Prosor said in the interview. “Some states agree with every word you say, but they have people that need to be elected to UN posts...”

“When I meet with many states, I see clear agreement with us in respect to direct negotiations. Yet then comes the concern for interests and appointments within the UN,” he said. “The closer we get to decision day, the Arab pressure campaign goes into high gear. They threaten African and from South American states. They simply threaten them. Many envoys tell me: ‘Under different circumstances we would vote for you, but we cannot.’”

While the above remarks are exasperating and infuriating, one must also keep in mind that the UN vote will likely have little effect in any case. On Sunday, former President Bill Clinton asserted that reality on the ground would not change after the vote and that both sides would have to return to the negotiating table. So why is the world going on with this disgraceful show?

The latest events prove that the much-maligned UN has reached a nadir and cannot be taken seriously any longer. The global organization created with such promise following World War II has become a ludicrous hub of narrow political interests that have nothing to do with decency, morality or the truth. The time has come for the world to end this farce and seek a different solution.