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Who Will Block Abbas at the UN?

(Israel Hayom) Dore Gold - Abbas is seeking that his proposed Palestinian state include Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas. The UN Charter plainly states in Article 4 that "Membership in the United Nations is open to all other peace-loving states which accept the obligations contained in the present Charter and, in the judgment of the Organization, are able and willing to carry out these obligations." Abbas' Palestinian state is not seeking full membership yet. But for the UN to vote on Palestinian statehood, when the Gaza portion of his proposed state is firing rockets at Israeli cities, places it at odds with the fundamental obligation in the UN Charter that all states refrain from the use of force in their relations (as opposed to the right of self-defense). In the 1990s when the states of the former Yugoslavia sought recognition and admission to international organizations, this issue was raised by European states. In the Bosnian War, the Balkan states were firing at each other's civilians and trying to unilaterally alter their borders. In the Palestinian case, Abbas himself does not condemn Hamas rocket fire and does not demonstrate to anyone that he is "able or willing" - to use the language of the UN Charter - to do anything about it. Regardless of the arguments that Israel raises, the EU will be critical in any strategy to block the Palestinian UN initiative at the end of November.
2012-11-16 00:00:00
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