“NO” to recognition of a Palestinian state by the UN in Sept

I am a Palestinian. A patriotic one. I am from Palestine. My homeland. This is my home. And this is my land. Yet, I was born homeless and landless in my homeland. This is my Palestine in which, I, being a native Palestinian, am a no-one but a minority and rusty, crusty one, according to Israel's supremacy, racism and Zionism. I am a Palestinian. A genuine one. And yes, “No” to recognition by the UN.

As there is much talk about what will happen at the United Nations in September regarding the declaration of a Palestinian Statehood and whether Palestine will ever get its full UN membership, I was invited by a German Channel: Deutsche Welle (DW) to talk about my views concerning this initiative as a young Palestinian blogger. My brief answer was: “this is going to be a symbolic move and nothing will change on the ground. I am sorry but we are fed up with the UN unimplemented resolutions, decisions and policies regarding our issue.” Pessimistic though I may sound, I was, at least, realistic.

At first glance, some Palestinians would rejoice at the thought of finally having a recognized Palestinian State and of achieving their right of long-delayed self-determination. In essence, however, the whole initiative seems pointless, or rather, insidiously dangerous.
Let’s have some second thoughts. How could they recognize a state that doesn’t even exist? And, wait, hadn’t the PLO already proclaimed a Palestinian state in 1988 on the basis of UN General Assembly Resolution 181, which stated that Palestine should be divided into two homes for two peoples — a Palestinian state and a Jewish state?

Although we, the Palestinians, have been bitterly opposed to the idea of partitioning our land, the Jewish was given a state stretched over more than half of the country. Not only did this resolution endanger our future, but also granted us no state. Had the UN been fair, they wouldn’t have entitled the Jews to no more than 10% of the land for the mere fact that the indigenous Palestinians made up the vast majority, 90% of the population.

So what difference would the UN make for us if they wanted to practice the recognition for a second time? Are they going to re-adopt the 181 resolution and re-divide the land equally among us? Are they going to say sorry, for they forgot to give us our share and treat us equally? Doesn’t it seem a bit unfair that someone forcibly takes your land then divides it into two unequal parts. Not only does he take the biggest share and establishes an exclusively independent state to which you no longer have any access, though it was all yours before the partition, but he also takes control over your tiny share and allows you to have no state. So what would the UN do in September? Repent? Seek our forgiveness? Or are they still blind by their inexcusable mistakes and they haven’t yet realized they have done us an injustice? Or maybe they’d ask us to make more concessions?!

Concessions? We have got nothing and we were already forced to concede our rights over our land, Jerusalem, refugees, natural sources…etc. We have nothing else to give; even our souls we already gave and we still do.

Let’s not think ill of the UN; they might have some “good” intentions. Perhaps they want to satisfy us this time by endorsing a Palestinian state on the basis of the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital and then recognize this state as our own and no one else’s. That means they favor the two-state solution which states that the Palestinians and the Israelis live side by side in peace and harmony. But what about our 1948 refugees and the right to return for the millions of Palestinian refugees inside and outside of Palestinian land? Have they waited 63 years in vain because this is exactly what the two-state solution means?!

Is our state going to be only the West Bank and Gaza? Are they talking about only 20% of Palestine? Will they call this a state? Would I be able to visit Jaffa had I wanted to, Haifa, Nazareth, Bethlehem and Nablus or any part of my land?

And if the state of Palestine gained its full UN membership; hadn’t it been vetoed in the first place, Would this membership stop the unceasing expansion of Israeli settlement in the occupied territories? and the underground excavations and new construction in the Old City?

Or would the UN recognition of a Palestinian statehood require a recognition of Israel and of their right to have an exclusively Jewish state? So will this be another process of deepening occupation and colonization and enabling Israel to impose more facts on ground?

Allow me to ask the UN this simple question: Do you fully understand the Palestinian cause? In case you do, you’ll know why I say “No”. I say “no” to recognition and I know for a fact it will face an inevitable US veto but at least I took the lead and I “vetoed” that initiative.

Fidaa Abuassi’s blog can be read here.

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