Palestinian Authority Being Admitted As A Non-Voting Observer State Is In No Way Legally Binding As International Law

The Palestinians won a major public and international relations victory at the UN General Assembly today. The United States, Canada, the Czech Republic, Panama, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, and Israel voted against, with 138 countries voting in favor. Interesting to note the Czechs were the only European nation to vote against, the Czechs knowing full well what having a country carved up and treated as fodder by Europeans pursuing deluded notions of appeasement is all about.

This may come with some added UN privileges, but it certainly does not have the force of international law. The Arabs still have no legally recognized State in these territories. That would violate Article 80 of the U.N. Charter. It violates U.N. Security Council Resolution 242. It violates the Montevideo Convention as the Palestinians fail to meet the criteria for Statehood. It violates international law to acquire territory through aggressive war, and Israel holds these territories as a result of self-defense against aggressive Arab neighbors. It is a direct violation of a series of Israeli-Palestinian agreements that require bilateral negotiations.

The General Assembly is not a forum to be taken seriously. It is a forum for dictators and despots, and the UN has a viciously inexcusable anti-Israel record. This public relations victory for the Palestinians is part in parcel of that record. This vote will be disregarded by Israel and her whopping 8 allies, but should be ignored by people and nations everywhere.  

"This is a meaningless resolution that won't change anything on the ground. No Palestinian state will arise without an arrangement ensuring the security of Israeli citizens," Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said in a statement issued by his office shortly before the U.N. vote was to be held. Abbas's comments at the UN were "hostile and poisonous", and full of "false propaganda", a statement released by Netanyahu's office said. "These are not the words of a man who wants peace."

"No matter how many hands are raised against us," Netanyahu said during a visit to a museum in Jerusalem ahead of the U.N. vote, "there is no power on earth that will cause me to compromise on Israel's security."

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