(Friends of Israel Initiative) The designation of the Palestinian Authority as a state by the UN would be regarded by Israel as a material breach of the Oslo II Agreement from 1995 that stated: "Neither side shall initiate or take any step that will change the status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip pending the outcome of permanent status negotiations." Israel and the PLO committed themselves to resolving their differences at the negotiating table. By turning to the UN, Abbas would be operating unilaterally. The language of the UN resolution is likely to contain phraseology that pre-judges the outcome of negotiations on critical issues like borders and the status of Jerusalem. The PA has sought to involve the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Defining the Palestinians as a non-member state of the UN could open up the floodgates of a wave of politicized charges against the officers of the Israel Defense Forces.
2012-11-12 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive