FM: Abbas to seek support for UN bid at Tehran summit
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 28, 2012 - 12:00am

President Mahmoud Abbas will canvas for support for the UN bid at a summit of 120 developing nations in Tehran, PA Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki said Tuesday. The PLO plans to ask the UN General Assembly to upgrade its status to a non-member observer state. A previous bid for full UN membership stalled at the Security Council last year. Al-Malki told Ma'an he was confident Palestine had the support of the non-aligned states at the summit.

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Palestinian's UN recognition quest on hold
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Mohammed Daraghmeh - August 28, 2012 - 12:00am

The Palestinian foreign minister says the Palestinians are putting their quest for international recognition at the U.N. on hold for now. Foreign Minister Riad Malki says President Mahmoud Abbas has decided not to apply at the General Assembly session next month, although he will informally appeal for recognition in a speech. The decision stands in contrast to last year, when the Palestinians asked the Security Council to admit them as a full member state.

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Palestinian Statehood Returns (Ho-Hum)
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Jewish Daily Forward
by Ben Lynfield - (Opinion) August 19, 2012 - 12:00am

A second bid by the Palestinian Authority to have the United Nations recognize Palestinian statehood appears to be a case of “once more, but with less feeling.”

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Chance of success slim for Palestinians' 2nd UN bid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
by Adam Gonn - (Analysis) August 15, 2012 - 12:00am

Palestinian National Authority (PNA) President Mahmoud Abbas is considering launching a second attempt at upgrading the status of the Palestinians in the United Nations from an observer entity to a non-member observer. With an upgraded status, the Palestinians would be able to vote in the UN General Assembly and seek full membership in UN organizations and at the International Criminal Court. The upgrade would also likely to help define the borders of a Palestinian state as containing the entire West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.

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UN agency, Jerusalem officials lock horns over trailers for homeless Palestinians
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
August 9, 2012 - 12:00am

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat has signed demolition papers for two trailers in east Jerusalem erected by the United Nation's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Israeli media reported Thursday.

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Abbas says going to UN even if it conflicts with others' interests
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 8, 2012 - 12:00am

President Mahmoud Abbas reiterated Tuesday that the Palestinian Authority would insist on the UN bid seeking to obtain international recognition that Palestine is a state under occupation rather than a disputed territory. “Even if this step conflicts with other parties' interests, we will not step back,” Abbas said in remarks at Al-Najah National University as he joined a ceremony to honor top high school graduates in Nablus district.

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Erekat: No date set for next UN bid
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Ma'an News Agency
August 3, 2012 - 12:00am

PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said Thursday that no date was set for next steps at the United Nations, where officials are considering a new initiative to seek membership as a state. Erekat said the timing of a draft application for the General Assembly will be discussed at the next cabinet meeting on Tuesday and after consulting with regional leaders. His remarks followed separate meetings with ambassadors from France, Germany, India, Brazil and the United States, Erekat said.

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The PA's West Bank abuses weaken resistance to Israel
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The National
by Shawan Jabarin - (Opinion) July 31, 2012 - 12:00am

In the Occupied Palestinian Territories, there is little faith in the principles of human rights. Notions of justice, accountability and international law mean too little to too many.

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Abbas confident in Palestinian bid for UN recognition
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from Xinhua
July 29, 2012 - 12:00am

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday expressed confidence that the Palestinian bid for the United Nations' recognition of a Palestinian state will succeed this time once the bid is applied. Abbas, who paid a visit to the West Bank's northern city of Jenin to have Iftar meal with city notables during the holy month of Ramadan, said that "we went to the UN and we didn't succeed in the first time, but next time we will."

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Arab League backs bid for UN nod to Palestine
ATFP World Press Roundup Article from The Associated Press
by Mohammed Daraghmeh - July 22, 2012 - 12:00am

The Arab League on Sunday backed a Palestinian plan to ask the U.N. General Assembly to recognize a state of Palestine, but stopped short of setting a date for the bid, Palestinian officials said. Instead, Arab League representatives meeting in Doha asked a committee to prepare the U.N. appeal and report back on Sept. 5, said Saeb Erekat, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking by phone from Doha. Timing is crucial, with a U.N. bid before November potentially disrupting the U.S. presidential race.

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