(New York Sun) Benny Avni - Last week UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres nominated former PA prime minister Salam Fayyad to be the UN envoy in Libya. America's UN Ambassador Nikki Haley then declined to approve the nomination. Naming "Palestine" as Fayyad's state of origin is crucial. Never before had a person from a country that is not a full UN member been named to such high post. American law forbids funding any international organization that recognizes "Palestine" as its full member. American officials, as well as their Israeli counterparts, sensed that the move was yet another step in the PA's strategy of gaining world recognition through creeping UN acceptance. A former IMF official, Fayyad is indeed well liked by diplomats, including many in Israel. As finance minister and prime minister, he was one of the only PA officials actually attempting to build state institutions and promote financial viability before he was pushed aside by PA President Mahmoud Abbas. Yet the UN nomination was not about Fayyad, but about the claim to statehood that his nomination represents.
2017-02-15 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive