Israel and several allied states have recently blocked an attempt by the Palestinian Authority to have its status in the United Nations upgraded from an observer state to a fully-recognized, voting member state of the international body.
Last week, Palestinian Authority foreign affairs chief Riad al-Maliki said the PA would turn to the UN Security Council later this month to push the upgrade for the PA’s status at the UN. At the same time, PA chief Mahmoud Abbas is planning a visit to the UN to lobby for support.
Israel’s representative at the United Nations, Ambassador Danny Danon, working in conjunction with several other representatives, led a diplomatic effort to convince Security Council members to reject the PA’s initiative.
Danon pointed out that, among other things, the PA failed to qualify for full membership in the UN due to its financial support for jailed terrorists and the families of terrorists killed during attacks, as well as its open incitement against the State of Israel.
“The Palestinian Authority is continuing to make the mistake of trying to creating facts on the ground with unilateral steps, while refusing to abandon the path of terrorism,” said Danon.
In the wake of Israel’s diplomatic push, the PA has dropped its plans to push the Security Council to intervene in the matter. While Abbas has not cancelled his planned trip to the UN later this month, he has reportedly dropped plans to lobby on behalf of the latest attempt to win full UN recognition and membership.