November 30, 2012

Middle East News: World Press Roundup

NEWS: The UN General Assembly votes overwhelmingly to grant Palestine "nonmember observer state" status. 138 countries voted yes, 9 no, and 41 abstained. Palestinians react with euphoria. The US strongly opposes the resolution.Israel and the Palestinians now both consider their next moves. Palestinians could try to seek access to global courts. PM Netanyahu is visiting Germany in the wake of its unexpected abstention, and condemns Pres. Abbas UN speech as "hostile and poisonous." Abbas says he will soon visit Gaza. Many Palestinians see the UN success as the possible prelude to national reconciliation. Israel is marketing its antimissile defense system. A Hamas militant is killed as war remnant ordinance explodes in Gaza. Israel says it will "retaliate" against the Palestinians by building 3,000 new settlement units, including in the highly sensitive E-1 corridor between East Jerusalem and the West Bank. COMMENTARY: Hussein Ibish says the PLO UN upgrade was entirely re-contextualized by the Gaza conflict. Barak Ravid looks at how Israel lost almost all European votes. Avi Issacharoff says Israel did Abbas a huge favor by hyping his UN initiative as "state terror." Abbas' UN speech is published in full. Hamas leader Meshaal says the Gaza war and the UN upgrade are complementary. Hassan Haidar says the UN victory is a win for Palestinian realism. The Daily Star says the UN vote was necessary and overdue. Ahmad Majdoubeh says Britain's abstention is a big disappointment. Imad Mrammel says Hezbollah learned important lessons by looking at the recent Israel-Hamas conflict. Raphael Ahren says the lopsided UN vote shows even some of Israel's allies blame it for the peace process impasse. Meir Javedanfar explains why he and some other Israelis supported the PLO UN initiative.

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U.N. Assembly, in Blow to U.S., Elevates Status of Palestine

Article Author(s): 

Ethan Bronner

Media Outlet: 

The New York Times

Date: 

November 29, 2012

Source Link(s): 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/world/middleeast/Palestinian-Authority-United-... [6]

UNITED NATIONS — More than 130 countries voted on Thursday to upgrade Palestine [7]

Media Outlet: 

Haaretz

Date: 

November 30, 2012

Source Link(s): 

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/who-voted-for-the-palestinian-upgr... [8]

Voted for the resolution: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Comoros, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, East Timor, Ecuador, Egypt,...

Palestinians euphoric over UN recognition

Article Author(s): 

Karin Laub

Media Outlet: 

Associated Press

Date: 

November 30, 2012

Source Link(s): 

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/top-news/palestinians-euphoric-over-un-recognitio... [9]

 

RAMALLAH, West Bank — 

Explanation of Vote by Ambassador Susan E. Rice, U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Following UN General Assembly Vote on Palestinian Observer State Status Resolution

Article Author(s): 

Susan E. Rice

Media Outlet: 

United Nations

Date: 

November 29, 2012

Source Link(s): 

http://usun.state.gov/briefing/statements/201226.htm [10]

Thank you, Mr. President.

After Vote, Palestinians and Israel Search for the Next Step

Article Author(s): 

Isabel Kershner

Media Outlet: 

The New York Times

Date: 

November 29, 2012

Source Link(s): 

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/30/world/middleeast/palestinians-and-israel-seek-... [11]

JERUSALEM — Saeb Erekat, a senior Palestinian official, recently said that the day after Palestine gained recognition as a n

The next stop for Palestinians could be global courts

Article Author(s): 

Joseph Schuman

Media Outlet: 

Reuters

Date: 

November 30, 2012

Source Link(s): 

http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/analysis-the-next-stop-for-palestinians-could... [12]

Nov 29 (Reuters) - The U.N. General Assembly's overwhelming vote to recognize Palestine as a non-member state offers little prospect for greater clout in world politics but it could make a difference in the international courts.

Israel's Netanyahu to visit Germany

Media Outlet: 

Associated Press

Date: 

November 30, 2012

Source Link(s): 

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/top-news/israels-netanyahu-to-visit-germany/nTJ2m... [13]

BERLIN - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [14]

Media Outlet: 

Ma'an News Agency

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned President Mahmoud Abbas's strong critique of Israel in his speech at the United Nations on Thursday as "hostile and poisonous", and full of "false propaganda".

Mahmoud Abbas to visit Gaza after statehood win

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is planning to visit the Gaza Strip after the UN General Assembly vote in favor of upgrading the status of the Palestinians to non-member observer state, a senior PLO official announced Thursday.

The announcement came shortly before Abbas was asked the GA in New York to vote in favor of the statehood bid.

Palestinians See UN Gambit as Step Toward Reconciliation

[Ramallah] – Palestinians took to the streets of Ramallah on Thursday night and into the early hours of Friday morning to celebrate the UN General Assembly vote bestowing non-member status to “Palestine.” Celebrants expressed hope that their newfound recognition at the United Nations is a step closer to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and many expressed belief that this diplomatic success was empowered by the recent military confrontation in the Gaza

UN vote on Palestinian statehood just another cautious step forward

The card players of the Al-Amari cafe have been around long enough to take a sceptical view of the United Nations vote on Thursday torecognise Palestinian statehood [19]

WASHINGTON — The success cited by Israel [21]

GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- Hamas' military wing said one of its fighters was killed early Friday when remnants of Israeli weaponry from the latest Gaza assault exploded in the northern Gaza Strip.

Israel to build 3,000 settler homes after UN vote

Israel has authorised the construction of 3,000 more housing units in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank, according to Israeli officials.

It is also speeding up the processing of 1,000 planning permissions.

No 'victory' at UN unless Palestinian unity is the result

The recent conflict between Israel and Hamas significantly recontextualised the request by the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) for an upgrade from the United Nations General Assembly to "non-member observer state" status. How all parties react to the upgrade will have a significant effect on the balance of power within Palestinian society, and strongly influence future regional developments.

How Israel lost Europe's support

As the hours wore on Thursday, the magnitude of the Israeli defeat in the United Nations General Assembly became continually clearer. One after another, the Foreign Ministry and Prime Minister's Office received reports from Israeli embassies in Europe that countries were changing their votes at the last minute and leaning toward the Palestinians. A few hours before the vote, officials in Jerusalem understood...

A big thanks to Lieberman

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will certainly never admit it, but he owes a huge thank you to the Israeli government, especially Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Only a few days ago, it seemed Abbas might disappear from the Palestinian and international consciousness due to Hamas' achievements during Israel's Operation Pillar of Defense.

Full text: Abbas speech to UN General Assembly

Mr. President of the General Assembly,

Hamas says Gaza conflict, U.N. recognition go together

DOHA, Qatar Nov 30 (Reuters) - Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said the de facto recognition of a sovereign Palestinian state won by his rival Mahmoud Abbas should be seen alongside Gaza's latest conflict with Israel as a single, bold strategy that could empower all Palestinians.

Palestinian Realism Triumphs Today

65 years after the decision to divide their country, the Palestinians return to the United Nations today to obtain the long-delayed recognition of their sought-after state with its borders delineated as per Resolution 181, i.e. as they had been before the 5th of June 1967, and East Jerusalem as its capital, after Israel has been persistently eating away at it and Judaizing it during 45 years of occupation and still today.

At last

The Palestinian bid for state recognition at the United Nations [31]

Opposition to or reservation about the Palestinian UN bid to gain non-member observer state status is ill-advised, hypocritical and wrong, especially on part of the US, Germany and Britain.

Hezbollah Learns Lessons From Gaza Conflict

During the eight-day offensive against Gaza, Hezbollah [34] in Lebanon was prepared for any possible assault by Israel.

Like it or not, the state of Palestine is semi-officially on the map

On Thursday night, the world made much more than just a symbolic gesture.

Why I back Abbas’s UN initiative

I back Mahmoud Abbas’s initiative PRINT ALL [37]EMAIL TO A FRIEND [2]DOWNLOAD TO PDF [3]RSS [4]

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