Some background:
International recognition of the State of Palestine
The State of Palestine was proclaimed on 15 November 1988 in Algiers at an extraordinary session in exile of the Palestine National Council. Legal justification for this act was based on United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 (II) of 29 November 1947, which provided for the termination and partition of the British Mandate into two states.
The declaration was promptly acknowledged by a range of countries,[1] and by the end of the year the proclaimed state was recognised by over 80 nations.[2] In February 1989 at the United Nations Security Council, the PLO representative publicly acknowledged recognition from 94 states. As part of an attempt to resolve the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the Oslo Accords signed between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in September 1993 established the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) as a self-governing interim administration in the Palestinian territories. Israel maintains de facto military control in the territories even in areas officially under the government of the PNA.
As of November 2012, 131 (67.9%) of the 193 member states of the United Nations have recognised the State of Palestine. Many of the countries that do not recognise the State of Palestine nevertheless recognise the PLO as the "representative of the Palestinian people". In addition the PLO's executive committee is empowered by the PNC to perform the functions of government of the State of Palestine.[3] On 29 November 2012, the UN General Assembly passed a motion changing Palestine's "entity" status to "non-member state" by a vote of 138 to 9, with 41 abstentions, thus implicitly recognising its sovereignty.[4][5]
Israel and several other countries do not recognise the existence of an independent Palestinian state, taking the position that the establishment of this state can only be determined through direct negotiations between Israel and the PNA. The main issues currently obstructing an agreement are, borders, security, water rights, the status of Jerusalem and freedom of access to religious sites, ongoing Israeli settlement expansion, and legalities concerning Palestinian refugees including the right of return.
On 22 November 1974, United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3236 recognised the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, national independence and sovereignty in Palestine. It also recognised the PLO as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, and accorded it observer status in the United Nations. The designation "Palestine" for the PLO was adopted by the United Nations in 1988 in acknowledgement of the Palestinian declaration of independence, but the proclaimed state still has no formal status within the system.
Shortly after the 1988 declaration, the State of Palestine was recognised by many developing states in Africa and Asia, and from communist and non-aligned states.[6][7] At the time, however, the United States was using its Foreign Assistance Act and other measures to discourage other countries and international organisations from extending recognition.[8] Although these measures were successful in many cases,[9] the Arab League and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) immediately published statements of recognition of, support for, and solidarity with Palestine, which was accepted as a member state in both forums.[10][11][12]
In February 1989 at the United Nations Security Council, the PLO representative acknowledged that 94 states had recognised the new Palestinian state.[13][14] It subsequently attempted to gain membership as a state in several agencies connected to the United Nations, but its efforts were thwarted by U.S. threats to withhold funding from any organisation that admitted Palestine.[15] For example, in April of the same year, the PLO applied for membership as a state in the World Health Organization, an application that failed to produce a result after the U.S. informed the organisation that it would withdraw funding if Palestine were admitted.[16] In May, a group of OIC members submitted to UNESCO an application for membership on behalf of Palestine, and listed a total of 91 states that had recognised the State of Palestine.[2]
In June 1989, the PLO submitted to the government of Switzerland letters of accession to the Geneva Conventions of 1949. However, Switzerland, as the depositary state, determined that because the question of Palestinian statehood had not been settled within the international community, it was therefore incapable of determining whether the letter constituted a valid instrument of accession.[16]
Due to the incertainty [sic] within the international community as to the existence or the non-existence of a State of Palestine and as long as the issue has not been settled in an appropriate framework, the Swiss Government, in its capacity as depositary of the Geneva Conventions and their additional Protocols, is not in a position to decide whether this communication can be considered as an instrument of accession in the sense of the relevant provisions of the Conventions and their additional Protocols.[17]
Consequently, in November 1989, the Arab League proposed a General Assembly resolution to formally recognise the PLO as the government of an independent Palestinian state. The draft, however, was abandoned when the U.S. again threatened to cut off its financing for the United Nations should the vote go ahead. The Arab states agreed not to press the resolution, but demanded that the U.S. promise not to threaten the United Nations with financial sanctions again.[18]
Many of the early statements of recognition of the State of Palestine were termed ambiguously.[19] In addition, hesitation from others did not necessarily mean that these nations did not regard Palestine as a state.[16] This has seemingly resulted in confusion regarding the number of states that have officially recognised the state declared in 1988. Numbers reported in the past are often conflicting,[20] with figures as high as 130 being seen frequently.[9][21] In July 2011, in an interview with Haaretz, Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour claimed that 122 states had so far extended formal recognition.[22] At the end of the month, the PLO published a paper on why the world's governments should recognise the State of Palestine and listed the 122 countries that had already done so.[23] By the end of September the same year, Mansour claimed the figure had reached 139.[24]
[edit] Palestine in the United Nations
On 14 October 1974, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) was recognized by the UN General Assembly as the representative of the Palestinian people and granted the right to participate in the deliberations of the GA on the question of Palestine in plenary meetings.[25]
On 22 November 1974, the PLO was granted Observer status, allowing to participate in all Assembly sessions, as well as in other UN platforms.[26]
On 15 December 1988, the State of Palestine's declaration of independence of November 1988 was acknowledged in the General Assembly with Resolution 43/177.[27]
[edit] Application for UN membership 2011
Main article: Palestine 194
After a two-year impasse in negotiations with Israel, the Palestinian Authority began an ambitious diplomatic campaign to gain recognition for the State of Palestine on the borders prior to the Six Day War, with East Jerusalem as its capital.[28] The efforts, which began in late 2009, gained widespread attention in September 2011, when President Mahmoud Abbas submitted an application to the United Nations to accept Palestine as a member state. This would constitute collective recognition of the State of Palestine, which would allow its government to pursue legal claims against other states in international courts.[29][30]
In order for a state to gain membership in the General Assembly, its application must have the support of two-thirds of member states with a prior recommendation for admission from the Security Council. This requires the absence of a veto from any the Security Council's five permanent members.[29] At the prospect of a veto from the United States, Palestinian leaders signalled they might opt instead for a more limited upgrade to "non-member state" status, which requires only a simple majority in the General Assembly but provides the Palestinians with the recognition they desire.
The campaign, dubbed "Palestine 194",[31] was formally backed by the Arab League in May,[32] and was officially confirmed by the PLO on 26 June.[33] The decision has been labelled by the Israeli government as a unilateral step, while the Palestinian government has countered that it is essential to overcoming the current impasse. Several other countries, such as Germany and Canada, have also denounced the decision and called for a prompt return to negotiations. Many others, however, such as Norway and Russia, have endorsed the plan, as has Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who stated, "UN members are entitled whether to vote for or against the Palestinian statehood recognition at the UN."[34
Diplomatic efforts to gain support for the bid gained momentum following a succession of endorsements from South America in early 2011.[35][36] High-level delegations led by Yasser Abed Rabbo, Riyad al-Maliki, Saeb Erekat, Nabil Shaath and Riyad Mansour paid visits to many states. Palestinian ambassadors, assisted by those of other Arab states, were charged with enlisting the support of the governments to which they were accredited.[36] During the lead-up to the vote, Russia, Spain and the People's Republic of China publicly pledged their support for the Palestinian bid,[37][38] as have inter-governmental organisations such as the African Union,[39] and the Non-Aligned Movement.[40]
Israel has taken steps to counter the initiative,[41] and Germany, Italy, Canada and the U.S. have announced publicly they would vote against the resolution.[36] Israeli and U.S. diplomats began a campaign pressuring many countries to oppose or abstain from the vote.[36] However, because of the "automatic majority" enjoyed by the Palestinians in the General Assembly,[42] the Netanyahu administration has stated that it does not expect to prevent a resolution from passing should it go ahead.[41][43] In August, Haaretz quoted the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, as stating that Israel would be unable to block a resolution at the General Assembly by September. "The maximum that we can hope to gain is for a group of states who will abstain or be absent during the vote," wrote Prosor. "Only a few countries will vote against the Palestinian initiative."[44]
Instead, the Israeli government has focused on obtaining a "moral majority" of major democratic powers, in an attempt to diminish the weight of the vote.[46][47] Considerable weight has been placed on the position of the European Union,[48][49] which has not yet been announced. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton has stated that it is likely to depend on the wording of the resolution.[50] At the end of August, Israel's defence minister Ehud Barak told Ashton that Israel was seeking to influence the wording: "It is very important that all the players come up with a text that will emphasise the quick return to negotiations, without an effort to impose pre-conditions on the sides."[51]
Efforts from both Israel and the U.S. have also focused on pressuring the Palestinian leadership to abandon its plans and return to negotiations.[49] In the U.S., Congress passed a bill denouncing the initiative and calling on the Obama administration to veto any resolution that would recognise a Palestinian state declared outside of an agreement negotiated by the two parties.[52] A similar bill was passed in the Senate, which also threatened a withdrawal of aid to the West Bank.[53][54] In late August, another congressional bill was introduced which proposes to block U.S. government funding for any United Nations entity that supports giving Palestine an elevated status.[55] Several top U.S. officials, including ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice and consul-general in Jerusalem Daniel Rubinstein, made similar threats.[56][57] In the same month, it was reported that the Israeli Ministry of Finance was withholding its monthly payments to the PNA.[58] Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned that if the Palestinians took unilateral actions at the United Nations, they would be in violation of the Oslo Accords, and Israel would no longer consider itself bound by them.[49] He also recommended cutting all ties with the PNA.[
On 11 July 2011, the Quartet met to discuss a return to negotiations, but the meeting produced no result.[60] President Mahmoud Abbas has claimed that he would suspend the bid and return to negotiations if the Israelis agree to the 1967 borders and cease its expansion of settlements in the West Bank.
The PNA's campaign has seen an increasing level of support in grass-roots activism. Avaaz began an online petition urging all United Nations members to endorse the bid to admit Palestine; it reportedly attained 500,000 e-signatures in its first four days.[61] OneVoice Palestine launched a domestic campaign in partnership with local news agencies, with the aim of getting the involvement and support of Palestinian citizens.[62] Overseas, campaigns were launched in several nations, calling on their governments to vote "yes" in the resolution.[63][64] On 7 September, a group of Palestinian activists under the banner "Palestine: State No. 194" staged a demonstration outside the United Nations' office in Ramallah.[65] During the demonstration they submitted to the office a letter addressed to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, urging him to "exert all possible efforts toward the achievement of the Palestinian people's just demands". The following day, Ban told reporters: "I support ... the statehood of Palestinians; an independent, sovereign state of Palestine. It has been long overdue," but that "recognition of a state is something to be determined by the member states."[66]
Other United Nations organs have previously expressed readiness to see a Palestinian state. In April 2011, the UN's co-ordinator for the Middle East peace process issued a report on the Palestinian Authority's state-building progress, describing "aspects of its administration as sufficient for an independent state".[67] It echoed a similar assessment published the week prior by the International Monetary Fund.[68] The World Bank released a report in September 2010 that found the Palestinian Authority "well-positioned to establish a state" at any point in the near future. The report highlighted, however, that unless private-sector growth in the Palestinian economy was stimulated, a Palestinian state would remain donor dependent.[69]
[edit] Application for non-member observer state 2012
See also: United Nations General Assembly resolution 67/19
UN observer state status voting results:
In favour (green) Against(red) Abstentions (yellow) Absent (light blue) Non-members (grey)
On thursday, November 29, 2012, the United Nations General Assembly endorsed an upgrade in status for Palestine in the UN,[70] in spite of opposition from Israel and the United States. The resolution elevated their status from "non-member observer entity" to "non-member observer state," the same category as the Vatican. Palestinians hope the recognition will provide new leverage in their negotiations with Israel. Its leaders had been working with dozens of supporting nations to develop a formal draft, enlisting the support of European countries such as France and Spain. The vote was 138 delegates in favor of the measure, nine against and 41 abstentions. Voting "no" were Israel, the United States and Canada, joined by the Czech Republic, Panama and several Pacific island nations of Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, and Palau.
Diplomatic recognition
UN member states
Of the 193 member states of the United Nations, 131 (67.9%) have recognised the State of Palestine as of November 2012. Their total population is over 5.5 billion people, equalling 80 percent of the world's population.[71] The list below is based on the list maintained by the Palestine Liberation Organization during the campaign for United Nations recognition in 2011.[23]
It should also be noted that some states, marked with an asterisk (*) below, expressly recognised the State of Palestine on the borders of 4 June 1967 (i.e., the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem), which constituted Arab territory prior to the Six Day War.
List there:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_recognition_of_the_State_of_Palestine