Arab efforts to enable Palestinians to obtain membership in the United Nations do not aim to render Israel an illegitimate state, Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Araby said in a Thursday statement.
Araby said that diplomatic efforts to request Palestinian state membership in the UN General Assembly are expected in September, and that these efforts are justified in light of ongoing Israeli intransigence and refusal to bring an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
“To say that the recognition of the Palestinian state aims to delegitimize Israel is contrary to truth and reality, since the declaration of a Palestinian state is based on the General Assembly of the United Nations’ decision No. 181 of 1947," said Araby, noting that the decision pointed to the separation of Palestine into two states, one Arab and one Jewish.
Araby went on to note as “incorrect” the claim that recognizing a Palestinian state must be based on clear boundaries. He said the Israel had no clear boundaries when it was declared a state in 1948, and was nonetheless immediately recognized by numerous Western countries.
He added that the 4 June 1967 boundaries are those of the Palestinian state and the world. Even the United States, during President Obama's speech on 19 May, recognized this political reality, he said.
Araby denied claims that UN membership would block negotiations between the two sides, and argued that resolving the conflict must occur through negotiations in accordance with a specific time frame acceptable to all parties involved.
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