The United States nominally opposed the General Assembly Resolution granting nonmember state status to “Palestine.”
In the short run, it changes nothing on the ground, but it does embolden the Palestinians to hold out for everything, including a reversion to the 1949 Armistice borders, commonly and somewhat erroneously referred to at the 1967 borders.
Those borders leave Israel just 9 miles wide at the narrowest point, require return of the Western Wall to Muslim control, and other absurdities as noted by Alan Dershowitz, Legal Implication of the United Nations Resolution on Palestine:
It would mean that Israel, which captured some Jordanian territory after Jordan attacked West Jerusalem in 1967, is illegally occupying the Western Wall (Judaism’s holiest site), the Jewish Quarter of old Jerusalem (where Jews have lived for thousands of years), the access road to the Hebrew University (which was established well before Israel even became a state) and other areas necessary to the security of its citizens. It would also mean that Security Council Resolution 242, whose purpose it was to allow Israel to hold onto some of the territories captured during its defensive 1967 war, would be overruled by a General Assembly vote—something the United Nations Charter explicitly forbids. It would be the first time in history that a nation was required to return all land lawfully captured in a defensive war.
If all the territory captured by Israel in its defensive war is being illegally occupied then it might be open to the newly recognized “Palestinian State” to try to bring a case before the International Criminal Court against Israeli political and military leaders who are involved in the occupation. This would mean that virtually every Israeli leader could be placed on trial. What this would entail realistically is that they could not travel to countries which might extradite them for trial in the Hague.
Palestinian Lawfare, in which all the decks are stacked against Israel because “international law” is whatever the anti-Israel majority says it is and there is no concept of a truly independent judiciary, will continue as a pressure point for a return to the 1967 borders.
None of this stands in opposition to Obama’s desired result.
Obama told us in May 2011 that a return to 1967 was his goal, with a few adjustments, Obama – Israel must withdraw to 1967 borders with land swaps (emphasis mine):
So while the core issues of the conflict must be negotiated, the basis of those negotiations is clear: a viable Palestine, and a secure Israel. The United States believes that negotiations should result in two states, with permanent Palestinian borders with Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, and permanent Israeli borders with Palestine. The borders of Israel and Palestine should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps, so that secure and recognized borders are established for both states. The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, and reach their potential, in a sovereign and contiguous state.
As much as defenders of Obama claimed this was nothing new, it was new and violated prior assurances given to Israel by prior Presidents.
Not surprisingly, as soon as Obama made his statement in May 2011, the Palestinians agreed, Palestinians: Pre-1967 Borders Sound Good, Just Like Obama Said:
Palestinian Authority chief negotiator Saeb Erekat on Sunday said that he agreed with US President Barack Obama’s assertion that the 1967 borders should be the basis for negotiations with Israel, but that it was more important that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu accept this premise.
Once Netanyahu says that the negotiations will lead to a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, then everything will be set,” Palestinian news agency WAFA quoted Erekat as saying. He added that until that happened, negotiations with Israel would not resume.
Fast forward to November 2012, and Obama’s position now has been adopted by the U.N. General Assembly, and the Palestinians are taking it to the bank:
“We now have a state… the world has said loudly ‘yes’ to the state of Palestine,” Abbas told the crowd of some 5,000 people who thronged a square Sunday outside Abbas’s government headquarters on Sunday. Many hoisted Palestinian flags and balloons in the colors of the flag.
“Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the state of Palestine,” Abbas added. “The world has said ‘no’ to aggression, settlements and occupation.”
There is no middle ground anymore. There is Obama’s way as adopted by the General Assembly, a return to 1967 maybe with some minor swaps, and then there is the way of Israeli security needs. The two are not compatible.
This could have been stopped, and a middle ground preserved for negotiation, had the Obama administration done more than some tepid rhetoric.
But that would not have served Obama’s goal: To force an Israeli return to 1967, with some minor modifications.
The U.N. General Assembly vote served Obama’s purposes, without his fingerprints on it.
DONATE
Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.
Comments
“The Palestinian people must have the right to govern themselves, and reach their potential, in a sovereign and contiguous state.”
‘K. But Obama should be leaning on their Muslim brethren for that, all of whom have great, big open territory they could contribute.
But the dirty little (not even) secret is that nobody wants them, and they have WAY tooo much value as propaganda props, cannon fodder and suicide vest delivery systems.
I hope American and world-wide Jews besides the Dersh are getting that Obama is not their friend. The election may be over, but they can still put a lot of pressure on the Deemocrats.
The Paleos have destabilized every state in which they’ve sought ‘refuge’. King Hussein turned the Arab Legion loose on them in September 1970 (origin of the name of Arafat’s ‘Black September’ terrorists) in a war of virtual annihilation. Have you ever heard anyone condemn Jordan for that? [crickets chirping] Me neither. With Hussein’s Bedouin soldiers snapping at their heels, the Paleos scurried into Lebanon where they destroyed that country, and turned Beirut – the Paris of the Middle East – into a ruined and divided city.
The same idiots who elected Prez-O-Bama also think the bad ol’ Joooooooos conquered some peaceful country named Palestine and tossed out its rightful inhabitants. Both of the aforementioned make a good case for either a literacy test or a property qualification in order to vote.
Today, Abbas (once again) laid claim to Jerusalem as the ‘eternal’ capital of ‘Palestine.’
Islamists still claim Spain is theirs as well, but then, they covet dominion over all the earth.
http://drybonesblog.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-state-of-palestine-quiz.html
“Eternal”…?!?!? I do not think that means what you think it means…
Palestinians: “He won.”
What next, Obama embracing America’s return to its 1492 borders? I’m sure 90% of Democrats will love that idea and defend its perceived historical justification.
News item, December 2, 2020:
Eight years after the vote granting nonmember state status to Palestine, amid new missile attacks and suicide bombings, the Peace Process was exhumed for evidence that it was poisoned by the U.N.
Meanwhile, the UN, Hillary, Rice and Obama IGNORE the weekly killings of Christians in Nigeria by the Islamists.
Likewise, they ignore the burnings of churches, rapes of women, human trafficking, sexual exploitation and slavery of children by Islamists. They ignore human rights violations, jihad attacks and atrocities by the thousands – 20,021, to be more accurate (and those are only the attacks published in the public media.
There is a disconnect with logic, facts, evidence and reality that is almost psychotic among the officials of the United Nations. Makes one wonder what has been put in the water or air in that building. But then, there are the Democrats displaying the same symptoms.
The UN and Obama administration also ignore the new Egyptian Constitution which does not ban slavery or grant equal rights to women. They ignore the racist/hateful wording of the Hamas charter and of the Koran for that matter.
Kinda, sorta makes one think Barry IS one of them
“A liar, a Muslim, a crook, a fraud and a politician walk into a bar. ‘Good evening, President Obama’, says the bartender…”
There was a two state solution. It’s unfortunate the Palestinian leadership suffered and suffers from delusions of grandeur. They could have enjoyed a better life in Jordan; but, their egos were overwhelming, they couldn’t resist dominating their host, and were ejected for their insolence. I guess Jordan was just an ally of convenience to wage a war of aggression against Jews, Christians, pagans, and dissenting Muslims.
OT, just thinking about the Jewish and Catholic vote for Obama. Knowingly dismissing protecting their religion, heritage or Holy Land.
Just this morning my Catholic parish is back to praying for our politicians and Leaders to provide food, jobs, healthcare and education for everyone. Supporting socialism and forfeiting religious liberty.
This is a continuation of the road to hell.
Baruk Hashem. Israel is forever. Take heart, descendents of Jacob, your G-d says “Do Not Fear!”
There are 64 references in the Hebrew Tanakh that indicates Creator God will stand with the descendents of Jacob, Isaac, and the patriarch Abraham FOREVER! Changing the name of Judea and Samaria to West Bank does not change the Abrahamic covenant, changing the IDF name of the last 8 day operations from “Pillar of Cloud” from book of Exodus to Pillar of Defense does not change G-d’s mind, changing the name of the weapon G-d has provided Israelis from (King) David’s Sling to Magic Wand does not change Israel’s future. Israelis WIN.
Abimelech’s story is told in Judges 8:31 – 9:57. He is also mentioned in 2 Samuel 11:21. Sounds alot like Zero’s story, doesn’t it?
There is also a secular/scientific version of those principles which George Gilger puts forth in The Israel Test. Dennis Prager takes on the same point using history.
Before it comes to that, Israel should deport every Arab in the West Bank into Jordan or Syria. Round them up and throw them out.
[…] by the way. Professor Jacobson convincingly argued that the UN General Assembly merely adopted the Obama position. And really, how come with all force of our Smart Diplomacy, TM at her disposal Susan Rice […]