By: Kynan Witters-Hicks
The Fellows Campus Events Committee’ at Principia College organized a fantastic discussion last week on the topic of the Palestinian bid for statehood. The discussion was very informative and it opened my eyes to the essential points of Palestine’s proposal to the United Nations (UN). It is my hope that by touching on a few of these key topics, readers will learn something new too.
The last I had heard about Palestine’s plan to request for statehood from the UN, I had understood that the two political factions, Hamas and Fatah, had put aside their differences for the moment and decided to work together for the greater good of their nation. However, the news being reported today tells a different story. The Hamas faction that controls the Gaza Strip banned any sort of celebration when the president of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas made his proposal to the UN. Hamas has made it clear that the recognition of a two-state solution obstructs their primal goal: to establish a Palestinian state based on the nations original boarders which encompasses all of Israel (The Daily Star). Therefore, to recognize Israel as a neighboring state would be to admit defeat. They claim that the only option moving forward is to continue violent resistance.
Even though the proposal of statehood might be a step forward, many argue that Palestine is too divided to be recognized as a state. The Palestinian Authority has significantly improved their institutions, though the divide between the political parties creates too shaky of a foundation for a stable state to reside upon. Some Palestinians argue that their nation still does not meet the necessary criteria for statehood. Palestine does not even have a national reconciliation which provides an arena for negotiations and interaction with the United Nations (Christian Science Monitor). The majority of the western world agrees that Hamas’s solution of violence is not the right answer but a politically unstable state is not the right course of action either.
As a result of increasing international pressure and conflicting allegiances, the United States began to take a back seat on this controversial matter. The US has always supported Israel and their position against Palestine’s bid. However, questions are being asked why the US supports the Arab Spring and not Palestine’s acquisition of statehood. Thought it may seem that the US is picking favorites, this may not be the case. Due to Jewish communities residing in Palestine and the instability of the Palestinian nation, the US has ample cause for denying Palestine’s request. Palestine began to set up “neighborhood watch patrols” along the edges of Jewish settlements in the west bank in order to monitor attacks toward Palestinians which have been accelerating over the past few months (Christian Science Monitor). In order to solve this dilemma, Israel and Palestine would have to work out peace among themselves. However, there is no agreement for peace in sight.
The US is the only nation that has sufficient influence to help create lasting harmony between the two nations. This is why the US’s decision to step back is the wrong one. Without their positive influence, tensions will most likely continue to amount.