Why is the US preventing Palestinian UN membership?

[Stalemate]

Because it would be rewarding bad behavior. A terrorist organization would run the state, they are called Hamas.

[Deleted]

Palestine didn't have a country at the time
Israel didn't have a country at the time

This is actually quite an important thing. Palestine prior to its formation with Israel had never existed as a nation. The borders in that region had never been defined (so half of it would of belonged to one empire other half to another, another time that area all belonged to one empire [with other parts of what are the surronding countries included as that region])It was formed with Israel to give the people their individual nations. Think of it as the Yugoslavia situation, but add religion.

Ignoring the issue of land that Israel are 'occupying' (personally i see it as land that was won as a result of being attacked, so is part of Israel, but acknowledge that land is open for debate if people have different opinions) but Palestine i believe were claiming land that is within borders UN assigned as Israel.

I think the with the US is a case of fix what needs to be done to allow Palestine to join than rubber stamp them in when they don't fit the criteria (its one thing having a current member committing crimes against human rights, than inviting a country that is committing crimes against human rights..... to invite is effectively saying that they are all right and no crimes are commited, while a current member is a situation where the UN should act to discipline its members)

[Rukentuts]

Unless there's an MMO Champ member who doubles as a US diplomat, I don't think you'll get the right answer.

[Deadvolcanoes]

The Palestinian people do deserve a state, because the large majority of them are peaceful people who want nothing more than to live their lives in peace with their friends and family.

Hamas is the problem. Israel has given up territory and dismantled settlements. It hasn't helped. Israel wants peace, Hamas doesn't. It's as simple as that.

[Deleted]

Could someone clear this up for me ?

Because the US and Israel are buttbuddies and the US doesn't want Israel to get into any trouble.

If Palestine would get rights in the UN they could accuse Israel of commiting warcrimes (which they HAVE commited a shitload, but they are currently safe since Palestine isn't an officially recognized country)

---------- Post added 2012-11-28 at 04:02 PM ----------

Hamas is the problem. Israel has given up territory and dismantled settlements. It hasn't helped. Israel wants peace, Hamas doesn't. It's as simple as that.

Israel hasn't built on occupied land, breaking international laws? Israel wants peace? Really?

I'm not saying Hamas is innocent, but Israel isn't either. They have commited warcrimes upon warcrimes and broken international law one after the other. They continue to build houses on land that isn't theirs.

[Deadvolcanoes]

I'm not saying Hamas is innocent, but Israel isn't either. They have commited warcrimes upon warcrimes and broken international law one after the other. They continue to build houses on land that isn't theirs.

Both parties are guilty of some pretty horrendous stuff. But I truly believe that if Hamas put their weapons down tomorrow, there would be peace. If Israel did that, they would cease to exist. Hamas is a disgusting representation of the Palestinian people.

[Kalyyn]

Israel is opposed to it. And because Israel has basically become an extension of America, it's pretty obvious who we're going to side with.

[Masark]

They are in posession of more land then they were "awarded" by the UN.

If someone tried to drive you into the sea twice, I dare say you'd want a sizable buffer zone between you and them as well.

---------- Post added 2012-11-28 at 09:35 AM ----------

Unless there's an MMO Champ member who doubles as a US diplomat, I don't think you'll get the right answer.

What makes you think you'd get a right answer from a US diplomat, or any diplomat from any other country for that matter?

[Rukentuts]

What makes you think you'd get a right answer from a US diplomat, or any diplomat from any other country for that matter?

What do you think a right answer is? All posters can do on this board is speculate.

[Gwiez]

US Evangelical Christians want Jews to rebuild a Jewish temple on the "temple mount", in order to fulfill "prophesy" and usher in a magical doomsday, fulfilling "God's Will".

Israel wasn't attacked in 1967, it did the invading. And the borders the Palestinians are mostly pushing for are based on those borders (called the green line) with some pragmatic trading of land for the largest of the illegal Jewish settlements (non-Jewish Israelis are not allowed to live in them) that would be too difficult to move.

Violent resistance to occupation is not unusual, and if it were people you identified with doing it, you'd consider them heroes. Like in the movie "Red Dawn", or the militant/terrorists who founded the state of Israel and the IDF (Stern's Gang, Irgun, Hagannah, etc).

[Fyersing]

The governments of the world can dress-up their methodology however they see fit, but at the end of the day the governments now operate in precisely similar fashions as they did 1,000 years ago -- by word of mouth, at the highest levels. They'll disown people whom are illuminated by public distaste, from time to time, but by and large a government is a fraternity and what happens within its chambers stay within its chambers.

[Deleted]

Israel is a client state of the US. As such, the US will block anything that could threaten Israel.

[Deadvolcanoes]

And to the title, the US cant block UN membership by itself. We don't have some kind of veto that we can implement by ourselves. The General Assembly votes, and if 2/3 allow membership, then there is nothing the US can do to stop it.

Furthermore, the UN is voting on Thursday for the recognition of Palestinian statehood, and its very very likely to pass. The US is voting against it, but so is Germany and the UK.

[ati87]

Both parties are guilty of some pretty horrendous stuff. But I truly believe that if Hamas put their weapons down tomorrow, there would be peace. If Israel did that, they would cease to exist. Hamas is a disgusting representation of the Palestinian people.

And how do you explain the behaviour of Israel in the other area's where their are allot of Palestinians (WB and East Jerusalem).....

If Hamas was the real problem then Palestinians in the West Bank could just travel from city to city and Palestinians from East Jerzalem could just get permission to build their homes or even live in their own homes without the fear of being it demolished like the Jewish people their.

Military part of Hamas will cease to exist the moment the need for struggle ends, groups like Hamas only exist because normal citizens support them (reason why they got elected in the first place). The need for struggle will end the moment Israel doesn't sabotages the peace process.

If I was the Palestinians I would be more unreasonable and demand more then the 67 borders, and to further strength my position I would declare a independent sovereign state right away (this will most likley means that Israel will attack the Palestinians). Unlike the last time majority of the country's actually support the Palestinians and the only way you can force Israel to be more reasonable is if Palestinians themselves become unreasonable.

[Deleted]

As said Israel and the USA are pretty close.

Personally I think alot of western countries turn a blind eye to what Israel does because of the guilt they feel over the holocaust and how the west used to treat Jews in general not so long ago, i also feel that Israel uses this guilt to get away with alot.

I don't see why they cannot get along, as the old joke goes...Put a Israeli and a Palestinian together and most people would struggle to tell the difference.

[Kraenen]

Extremely conservative factions in Israel, most notably the prime minister, have a great amount of influence in the US government (for reasons dating back to Carter I believe), and have a mostly religious claim to the land. They think it belongs to the jews because of what their religion says. There is also a terrible reaction in US politics that when you criticize Israel you are somehow anti-semitic/anti-jewish and that you support islamic terrorists, when this is furthest from the truth if you know the original definition of being a Zionist (my reference: Noam Chomsky). You can criticize Israel's actions without having to support groups like Hamas, in fact I think it's necessary to do so because it would further the process of peace and state hood for both Palestine and Israel.

[cubby]

Hello,

Please understand, i'm not trying to start a heated debate, but i'm having trouble comprehending the US position on refusing recognition of the Palestinian state at the United Nations.

To be more precise, my country of France has long-supported making the Palestinian State a member of the United Nations. Currently, this is prevented by threats from the United States to veto the proposal. Thus, Palestine can only attempt at acquiring an "Observer's Seat", for which many European countries will be voting for.

Though i'm no specialist on the topic, and i don't see the world in a "good" and "evil" way, it feels to me that there is a clear "right" thing to do here, in the name of sheer dignity, and that the US is going against that. Perhaps I am missing something, and i would like to understand the US point of view.

Could someone clear this up for me ?

Because Palestine is run by terrorists. Period. They launch rockets into civilian territory and detonate bombs in random civilian areas, targeting no one specifically but fear.

One the Palestinians stop electing a terrorist organization as their leadership, the two-state system will be negotiated and U.N. entrance granted. Not a really tough concept.

[Easo]

Because Palestine is led by groups such as Hamas and Fatah.
These groups ARE terrorists.
I suppose it is obvious why USA declines them.
P.S.
Writing the usual USA owns Israel or vice versa says a lot about you. You know, tinfoil hat and so on...

[Brachamul]

These groups ARE terrorists.

Yes they are. When land is occupied by foreign forces, people resort to terrorism in order to revolt.
It is what some americans did against the british, and what some french did against the german.
There is nothing good about terrorism, but it is a last resort, and the symptom of a crisis.
The only way to eradicate terrorism is to solve that crisis.

[vastx]

Yes they are. When land is occupied by foreign forces, people resort to terrorism in order to revolt.
It is what some americans did against the british, and what some french did against the german.
There is nothing good about terrorism, but it is a last resort, and the symptom of a crisis.
The only way to eradicate terrorism is to solve that crisis.

Just read anything they've said or written..

"We have liberated Gaza, but have we recognized Israel? Have we given up our lands occupied in 1948? We demand the liberation of the West Bank, and the establishment of a state in the West Bank and Gaza, with Jerusalem as its capital – but without recognizing [Israel]. This is the key – without recognizing the Israeli enemy on a single inch of land. ...
"Our plan for this stage is to liberate any inch of Palestinian land, and to establish a state on it. Our ultimate plan is [to have] Palestine in its entirety. I say this loud and clear so that nobody will accuse me of employing political tactics. We will not recognize the Israeli enemy. "

(Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Zahhar, Future News TV, June 15, 2010, Source: MEMRI.org)