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Palestinians Want Full UN Membership, but U.S. Law Stands in the Way
(Times of Israel) Jacob Magid - Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour is once again seeking full membership status at the UN, but the U.S. has passed laws aimed at thwarting such an effort. PA President Mahmoud Abbas applied for full membership in 2011, but the effort didn't get past the Security Council, largely due to opposition from the Obama administration. In 2012 the General Assembly granted the Palestinians observer status. Congress over the years has added clauses to annual budget legislation which would strip the Palestinian Authority of U.S. aid if it obtains UN member status. Moreover, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act passed in 1990 bars U.S. funding "for the United Nations or any specialized agencies thereof which accords the Palestine Liberation Organization the same standing as member states." A spokesperson for the State Department told the Times of Israel that while the U.S. remains committed to the two-state solution, "the only realistic path to a comprehensive and lasting peace that ends this conflict permanently is through direct negotiations between the parties....There are no shortcuts to Palestinian statehood outside direct negotiations between the parties."