CAIRO: Though debates at the United Nation's Security Council were intended to revolve around general Middle East issues, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' quest for Palestinian statehood stole the spotlight in a session Monday. “I don't claim that the Council does not deal with the situation of specific countries in the Middle East — it does. However, I think it's time to start connecting the dots so that we can face the bigger picture,” said Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Rob Prosor, hoping that he could field the discussion away from the statehood bid. “For generations, the Arab world has failed miserably to address the needs of its own people,” he added, calling on Arab leaders to stop blaming US, Israel and western leaders in general for internal Middle Eastern issues. As Mahmoud Abbas filed his request for recognition of a Palestinian state last month, proposals to revive Palestinian-Israeli peace-talks have been at the center of UN activity. Palestinian representative Riyad Mansour on the other hand, did not mind the attention, believing that the statehood bid will bring genuine bettering in the Middle Eastern context in general. “For nearly two decades, the negotiations undertaken by the Palestinian leadership in a spirit of historic compromise and good faith have been obstructed, undermined and stalled as a direct result of Israeli intransigence, its egregious violation of international law and human rights, and it's refusal to commit to the most basic principles and parameters essential for the achievement of a just and lasting peace,” he said. Refuting Prosor's claim that the Israeli state is truly opting for a genuine peace process, Mansour cited the Israeli settlement program as the primary sticking point to negotiations. Since Israel refused to renew a 10-month partial settlement freeze plan in September 2010, direct peace talks have dissipated. Palestinians refuse to bend from their absolute stipulation that settlement construction must be entirely frozen for peace talks to continue. Working through Colombian mediation, Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu last Wednesday proposed a halt to privately initiated settlement construction. However, Palestinian officials rejected this offer, as they said the proposition would have no actual effect on settlement construction, citing the fact that 80 percent of al settlements are constructed on public land. Differentiating between privately owned and state owned land is a “false distinction,” said Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and Palestinian Authority official Saeb Erekat. “Attempting to draw such false distinctions exposes the true intentions of the Israeli government,” he added. The two sides are expected to return to the negotiating table on October 26th, under the aegis of the Middle East Quartet– the UN, the European Union, the US and Russia. Erekat, a former chief negotiator of the PA, said on Sunday that the Quartet should not try to equate Israel and Palestine when discussing commitment to the peace process. “It is the Israeli occupation which is impeding peace and democracy,” Erekat said in response to Quartet special envoy Tony Blair, who had earlier agreed to statements claiming that the Arab Spring and the Palestinian UN bid could damage the peace process. There was no action taken in these discussions on the decision to recognize a Palestinian state in the Security Council, where the US has vowed to veto any motion. BM
