The Hill News

There are many reasons under international law that the dis-contiguous Palestinian Territories in the West Bank and Gaza Strip have much work ahead of them before they should be recognized as a legitimate nation state. An unequivocal denouncement of Palestinian-related terrorist organizations and recognition of Israel would certainly be steps in the right direction. Yet despite the lack of progress on the peace process and an impasse at the UN Security Council, the Palestinians are quietly marching towards full UN recognition by attacking the soft underbelly of the UN â€" the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). And Hilary Clinton’s State Department is not taking the necessary action to ensure proper international order.
 
While Americans were busy trimming our Christmas trees or setting up our Menorahs, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was in Paris on 13 December 2011 raising the Palestinian flag at UNESCO,! thus gaining an important beachhead in the quest for international recognition for the state of Palestine. Granted, weeks earlier, on October 31, the U.S. was amongst the 14 countries that voted against Palestinian full membership at UNESCO, Secretary of State Clinton did not do enough to avert the premature vote and the Administration’s response after the vote has done little to deter a repeat performance at other UN technical and specialized agencies. If decisive U.S. action is not taken, the next domino could begin to fall as early as this spring at the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Near-East Regional Conference.

Read more...