Update: The Palestinian Authority won their bid for UN nonmember observer status with 138 UN member states voting yes, 41 abstaining and only 9 voting no (you can probably guess who those 9 states were). Israel and Canada made very angry speeches about how awful Palestinians are for having the audacity to request recognition as a state of deserving human beings. After the historic result, Susan Rice spoke briefly about the US position, calling the vote “unfortunate and counterproductive” and “a distraction” that creates “further obstacles for peace.” While its certainly a positive step, it remains to be seen what, if any, impact this vote will have on Palestinians beyond symbolic theatrics. The Palestinian Authority can now potentially take Israel to the International Criminal Court. The question is whether or not they’ll actually do it. Given their past collusion with Israel, it’s hard to see that happening, but it’s certainly not an impossibility.
The US has been hard at work in the international arena trying to sabotage the Palestinian Authority’s latest bid at the United Nations. Though the UN upgrade of Palestine from observer to nonmember observer status is largely symbolic, the US and Israel have gone out of their way to stop it from happening. Why? Because, reports the New York Times:
A major concern for the Americans is that the Palestinians might use their new status to try to join the International Criminal Court. That prospect particularly worries the Israelis, who fear that the Palestinians might press for an investigation of their practices in the occupied territories.
The purpose of the International Criminal Court, or ICC, is “to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.”
After Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in 2008/2009, which killed 1,400 Palestinians in Gaza, including 400 children, the Palestinian Authority went to ICC to have Israel’s conduct investigated. But the ICC rejected the bid because “the current status granted to Palestine by the United Nations General Assembly is that of ‘observer’, not as a ‘Non‐member State'”, explained the ICC.
Of course, Israel has nothing to worry about unless it has been breaking international law….oh wait, it totally has.
The UK is similarly concerned about a possible break in Israel’s impunity:
Britain…said it would consider voting for the resolution pending certain amendments and public assurances, including a clear commitment from the Palestinians that they would…not pursue Israel for war crimes in the International Criminal Court. Otherwise, Britain says, it will abstain.
Is it just me, or does that sound like blackmail? “Hey Abbas, we’ll totally back your bid but only if you promise that justice for the crimes perpetrated against your people is off the table. Otherwise, you’re on your own.”
Having not received those assurances, the UK has chosen to abstain from the vote. Germany has also decided not to back the Palestinian bid, not that any of that really matters. Despite heavy lobbying by the US and Israel, Palestinians have received overwhelming European nations. According to the Telegraph, “80 per cent of the 193 member states are expected to vote yes, including 14 EU states plus Norway and Switzerland. Italy this afternoon became the latest major European state to say it would vote yes.”
With the vote likely to pass within the hour, the US and Israel have switched gears from lobbying against it to trying to make certain the Palestinian Authority stays away from the ICC. The Times alluded to “unconfirmed reports that Washington and Israel were pressing the Palestinians to include a clause in the resolution pledging not to seek membership in the International Criminal Court.” Of course there’s no reason to fear this unless Israel has indeed committed war crimes…oh yeah, they totally have.
What’s even more interesting than the level of desperation to protect Israel from even the slightest potential for accountability is the way it’s being framed by Israeli officials.
For example, Isreal’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Yigal Palmor, put it this way: “We’re going to see where the Palestinians take this. If they use it to continue confronting Israel and other U.N. bodies, there will be a firm response. If not, then there won’t.”
You see, Israel doesn’t give a shit if Palestinians get some symbolic recognition from the UN, as long as they don’t use it to seek justice for the fucked up and illegal dispossession, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, starvation and murder they’ve had to endure at the hands of Israel and it’s allies. And if they do, Israel and the United States are prepared to strangle Palestine, or what’s left of it, even more as Israeli Prime Minister has assured that the vote “will not change anything on the ground.”
Great article and thanks for what you are doing.
[…] was the main reason Israel and the US tried so hard to prevent UN General Assembly from voting to recognize Palestine as a nonmember observer state last […]