UN Recognition of Palestinian Statehood by Jewish Voice for Peace US

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August 4, 2011 by IJV

Will the United States do the right thing at the United Nations Security Council, this one time?

Will the U.S. government stand up for basic fairness instead of vetoing yet another UN vote on behalf of Palestinian human rights?

Palestinians are bringing their case for recognition to the United Nations as soon as September— not because it will suddenly create a viable Palestinian state or end the occupation— but because it could provide leverage to help them press their case for freedom and equality.

Yet the United States has announced they will again oppose a move that is consistent with longstanding U.S. policy, and they have threatened to use their veto should the vote come to the UN Security Council. If they act on their threat, it would be the 42nd U.S. veto of a vote supporting Palestinian human rights in 40 years!

The United States and Israel say they want the Palestinians to go back to the negotiating table instead. But U.S.-backed peace talks are a dead-end, and that they have led to more settlement expansion, not less.

The US has been getting in the way of lasting peace for long enough. Is it too much to hope that they will change and finally do the right thing?

In the coming days, the U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation, a large coalition of peace and justice organizations, is finalising a petition to influence Hilary Clinton to support the UN Resolution.

It’s time for us to bend the long arc of history towards justice, freedom, and equality. Nearly the entire world stands with a just resolution that gives freedom and security to Palestinians and Israelis.

The vote is just one step, and only a beginning. It won’t end the occupation or suddenly mean a viable Palestinian state, but it will recognize the right to Palestinian self-determination, give our movement additional tools in moving toward a truly just resolution, and give fresh hope to all the people of Palestine and Israel who deserve to live in freedom and democracy.

To read and sign the petition (click here) or for analysis by Stanford University professor Joel Beinin (click here).



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