GAZA, Nov. 29 (Xinhua) -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will address a historic speech in few hours before the United Nations General Assembly in New York and ask its members to vote in favor of a Palestinian bid to recognize a non-member observer state of Palestine.
However, observers and analysts had a variety of opinions and comments on this historic step, some spoke about the future benefits of recognizing a Palestinian state, a non-member observer state in the UN, and some spoke about the risks that may affect the Palestinian cause and affairs.
Abbas is most likely to get an overwhelming majority of votes in the General Assembly, despite United States and Israel's strong opposition to the bid. Abbas chose to go to the UN after the Middle East peace process was stuck and the direct negotiations with Israel had been stalled since October, 2010.
Most of the analysts asserted that if the UN recognizes an observer state, the benefits will be political in its first place and then it will be followed by other economical and legal benefits. However, others expressed concerns over the future of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and other legitimate rights.
Leaders of Islamic Hamas movement and its allies, who became a major player in the region following the Israeli Operation Pillar Defense on the Gaza Strip that lasted for eight days, were divided between the major legitimate rights of return for refugees and getting anything from Israel by all means.
Political Benefits
If Abbas succeeds in gaining the UN recognition of a state, the first benefits will be political, according to the experts and analysts, the Palestinian territories won't be anymore disputed territories, and it will be considered territories under the Israeli occupation.
Mekhemer Abu Se'da, the political science professor at al-Azhar University in Gaza told Xinhua that after all efforts to revive the stalled peace process under the Israeli and US terms had failed, "smart Abbas found that going to the UN and demand a recognition of a state is the only choice."
"After a state is recognized, I believe that the Palestinian leadership would find larger area and will have a free hand to go for legal peaceful battles with Israel to stop the expansion of settlement in the West Bank and east Jerusalem and end the Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territories."
Despite the Palestinian warnings and calls on Israel to stop settlement and resume the direct peace talks to peacefully end decades of mutual conflicts, the right-wing government in Israel insisted on building more housing units in the settlements in West Bank and east Jerusalem.
"The step of going to the UN has so many political benefits that would consequently lead to economical benefits and end up with stability in the future, although it is still vague to know what will be the future of the PLO and what will happen to the question of Palestinian refugees," said Abu Se'da.
Possible Scenarios
According to chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, said in a study he published on Thursday that once Palestine becomes a recognized state, the Palestinians will be members in some of the UN organizations as well as a member in The Hague international court of justice.
"The Palestinian territories occupied by Israel in 1967 won't be anymore disputed lands, and the state of Palestine can be a member in some of the UN organizations and will be able to demand Israel through its membership to freeze settlement and end the occupation," said Erekat.
Hani Habib, a Gaza-based political analyst told Xinhua that " although the decision to go for UN recognition was so late, but it has positive features that were not available before," expecting that Israel and the U.S. will launch an equivalent diplomatic and political powers on the Palestinians."
The U.S. threatened Abbas that it would impose sanctions on the Palestinian Authority (PNA) and will block any Palestinian attempt to join the UN organizations, mainly the legal ones, where Britain recognizes with conditions a Palestinian state for not to legally sue Israel in international courts.
"The Palestinians have been suffering over several decades from the Israeli occupation practices as well as the large blind U.S. support to Israel and its policies against the Palestinians, so I believe that the Palestinians' steadfastness must increase to confront future punishment and sanctions," said Habib.
Peace process
According to Abbas and other senior Palestinian officials, going to the UN and gain a recognition of a non-member observer state of Palestine doesn't mean that the Palestinians dropped the choice of the direct peace negotiations with Israel, but it will be under new terms and conditions.
"We expect that a new peace process will be launched in the Middle East after the recognition of a state, where any future peace negotiations with Israel must resolve the permanent status issues such as the refugees' right of return, Jerusalem, settlement, borders and security," said Erekat.
Abdel Kareem Nasser, the professor of economy and political science at Beir Zeit University in the West Bank said the UN recognition of a Palestinian state "is not enough to change the rules of the political game in the Middle East," adding that " after the recognition, peace negotiations are needed."
"The recognition of a state would remain ink on documents unless the Palestinians negotiate Israel on the full withdrawal from the occupied territories, where all other issues like crossing points, borders, right of return, Jerusalem and settlement need hard negotiations with Israel," said Nasser.
By recognizing a Palestinian state as a non-member observer state in the UN, a new page in the Palestinian history and a new era will start. The former stage of useless talks and not achieving anything tangible is over, and now a new stage of legal political struggle through the world's organizations will begin.
However, observers and analysts had a variety of opinions and comments on this historic step, some spoke about the future benefits of recognizing a Palestinian state, a non-member observer state in the UN, and some spoke about the risks that may affect the Palestinian cause and affairs.
Abbas is most likely to get an overwhelming majority of votes in the General Assembly, despite United States and Israel's strong opposition to the bid. Abbas chose to go to the UN after the Middle East peace process was stuck and the direct negotiations with Israel had been stalled since October, 2010.
Most of the analysts asserted that if the UN recognizes an observer state, the benefits will be political in its first place and then it will be followed by other economical and legal benefits. However, others expressed concerns over the future of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and other legitimate rights.
Leaders of Islamic Hamas movement and its allies, who became a major player in the region following the Israeli Operation Pillar Defense on the Gaza Strip that lasted for eight days, were divided between the major legitimate rights of return for refugees and getting anything from Israel by all means.
Political Benefits
If Abbas succeeds in gaining the UN recognition of a state, the first benefits will be political, according to the experts and analysts, the Palestinian territories won't be anymore disputed territories, and it will be considered territories under the Israeli occupation.
Mekhemer Abu Se'da, the political science professor at al-Azhar University in Gaza told Xinhua that after all efforts to revive the stalled peace process under the Israeli and US terms had failed, "smart Abbas found that going to the UN and demand a recognition of a state is the only choice."
"After a state is recognized, I believe that the Palestinian leadership would find larger area and will have a free hand to go for legal peaceful battles with Israel to stop the expansion of settlement in the West Bank and east Jerusalem and end the Israeli military occupation of the Palestinian territories."
Despite the Palestinian warnings and calls on Israel to stop settlement and resume the direct peace talks to peacefully end decades of mutual conflicts, the right-wing government in Israel insisted on building more housing units in the settlements in West Bank and east Jerusalem.
"The step of going to the UN has so many political benefits that would consequently lead to economical benefits and end up with stability in the future, although it is still vague to know what will be the future of the PLO and what will happen to the question of Palestinian refugees," said Abu Se'da.
Possible Scenarios
According to chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, said in a study he published on Thursday that once Palestine becomes a recognized state, the Palestinians will be members in some of the UN organizations as well as a member in The Hague international court of justice.
"The Palestinian territories occupied by Israel in 1967 won't be anymore disputed lands, and the state of Palestine can be a member in some of the UN organizations and will be able to demand Israel through its membership to freeze settlement and end the occupation," said Erekat.
Hani Habib, a Gaza-based political analyst told Xinhua that " although the decision to go for UN recognition was so late, but it has positive features that were not available before," expecting that Israel and the U.S. will launch an equivalent diplomatic and political powers on the Palestinians."
The U.S. threatened Abbas that it would impose sanctions on the Palestinian Authority (PNA) and will block any Palestinian attempt to join the UN organizations, mainly the legal ones, where Britain recognizes with conditions a Palestinian state for not to legally sue Israel in international courts.
"The Palestinians have been suffering over several decades from the Israeli occupation practices as well as the large blind U.S. support to Israel and its policies against the Palestinians, so I believe that the Palestinians' steadfastness must increase to confront future punishment and sanctions," said Habib.
Peace process
According to Abbas and other senior Palestinian officials, going to the UN and gain a recognition of a non-member observer state of Palestine doesn't mean that the Palestinians dropped the choice of the direct peace negotiations with Israel, but it will be under new terms and conditions.
"We expect that a new peace process will be launched in the Middle East after the recognition of a state, where any future peace negotiations with Israel must resolve the permanent status issues such as the refugees' right of return, Jerusalem, settlement, borders and security," said Erekat.
Abdel Kareem Nasser, the professor of economy and political science at Beir Zeit University in the West Bank said the UN recognition of a Palestinian state "is not enough to change the rules of the political game in the Middle East," adding that " after the recognition, peace negotiations are needed."
"The recognition of a state would remain ink on documents unless the Palestinians negotiate Israel on the full withdrawal from the occupied territories, where all other issues like crossing points, borders, right of return, Jerusalem and settlement need hard negotiations with Israel," said Nasser.
By recognizing a Palestinian state as a non-member observer state in the UN, a new page in the Palestinian history and a new era will start. The former stage of useless talks and not achieving anything tangible is over, and now a new stage of legal political struggle through the world's organizations will begin.