image Photo: Reuters, Flash90

Abbas calls for full UN membership

The Palestinian President made his appeal during an address at the United Nation General Assembly.

By Jonathan Hessen and Erin Viner

“Why aren’t we allowed to be full members? What are we lacking? Why can’t these states recognize the state of Palestine and accept its full-fledged membership in the United Nations?” demanded Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from the plenum, underscoring, “Therefore, we wish and therefore we beg, and therefore we plead, and we reiterate our request to get this full, full membership now.”

Abbas delivered his plea after complaining about the Palestinian Authority’s (PA)non-member “Observer” status at the world body for the past decade.

Citing the PA’s accomplishments, which he said, “has proved that it qualifies for full membership,” Abbas insisted, “Palestine have been working seriously and in full responsibility with the other states of the world, different committees and specialized organs. And it has successfully chaired the G77 and China. We are an observer state and despite that we have chaired the group, and we have succeeded in own works.”

President Abbas, who heads the Western-backed PA, also remarked on the stalled peace process with Israel.

“I heard them supporting the Two-State Solution, and we are thankful for that,” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said, in reference to the remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid and United States President Joe Biden.

Despite acknowledging, “This is, of course, a positive development,” Abbas questioned the sincerity of the Israeli and American leaders.

“The real test to the seriousness and credibility of this stance, because we have had enough resolutions and enough words, so the true test to the credibility and seriousness of this stance is for the Israeli government to go back to the negotiation table immediately, tomorrow, to implement the Two-State Solution in line with the resolution of the relevant international resolutions and the Arab peace initiative, and to end all the unilateral measures that undermine the Two-State Solution,“ he said.

It is important to highlight that the Palestinian leader’s address was unashamedly saturated by misinformation and disinformation vis-à-vis reality on the ground, historic facts and legalities.

US-brokered peace talks aimed at establishing a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza and eastern side of Jerusalem collapsed in 2014.