RAMALLAH, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- When Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas found out that reviving the stalled peace process with Israel impossible and the United States retreated from backing the two-state solution, he decided to go to the UN to ask for recognizing a non-member Palestinian state.
Abbas, who will later on Thursday give a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York, said he will ask for the preparations of dropping an official request to the UN, asking its General Assembly to recognize the state of Palestine as a non- member state.
Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Reyad al-Malki, said Wednesday that, although a date for voting on the Palestinian bid in the UN has not been set up, the Palestinians are certain to get enough UN consensus.
TWO-STATE SOLUTION RETREATED
The United States has been the sponsor of the two-state solution principle that was supposed to be the final destination in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but after the peace process in Middle East went to a deadlock due to Israel's insistence to expand Jewish settlements, the situation is different.
Washington is not anymore exerting pressure on Israel to freeze settlement, and therefore the two-state solution was retreated.
The two-state solution means to establish an independent Palestinian state on the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel in 1967 (Gaza Strip and the West Bank) with east Jerusalem as its capital, after agreeing on all the permanent status issues, including disputes over Jerusalem, refugees, settlement, security and borders.
"The two-state solution principle on the ground was retreated due to the Israeli measures, mainly settlement building and the construction of the wall that swallowed the Palestinian lands in the West Bank," said Tayesser Khaled, a member of Palestine Liberation Organization's (PLO) executive committee.
He told Xinhua that with the two-state solution principle retreated, Israel is still carrying out measures against the Palestinians, "so the most important thing for us is not to hesitate or wait for the results of the coming U.S. (presidential) elections, but to immediately present the draft resolution to the UN."
UN BID'S CONSEQUENCES
Observers are expecting that if the two-state solution is retreated and Abbas asks the UN to recognize a non-member state, there will be negative or positive consequences, one of which is dissolving the Palestinian National Authority (PNA).
Talal Oukal, a Gaza-based political analyst told Xinhua that answering the question on what will happen if Abbas demands the UN recognition of a state "is so difficult right now."
"If we seriously debate the issue of the UN, there will be negative consequences, such as dissolving the PNA, but at the same time the presence of PNA in the West Bank is serving Israel's interests... That's why Israel helps the PNA to prevent its collapse," said Oukal.
Israel also has its own option, mainly when Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak proposed a unilateral withdrawal from the West Bank with keeping the biggest settlements under Israel's control before Abbas thinks about quitting or dissolving his PNA to avoid more chaos or violence.
"Before Abbas drops the bid to the UN, Israel might carry out a unilateral pull-out from the West Bank to obstruct the recognition, then I expect that there will be an authority in Gaza linked to Egypt and an authority in the West Bank linked to Jordan," said Oukal.
Some observers, like Samir Awad, political science professor at Beir Zeit University in the West Bank, ruled out that the PNA will collapse if Abbas drops the request of recognition to the UN General Assembly, adding that having the PNA still an interest for the West and Israel.
He told Xinhua that the threats to dissolve the PNA after gaining the UN recognition "are not real. The PNA will keep acting because I believe that the deadlock in the peace process with Israel will end and the stagnant water will move after the U.S. elections are held the end of this year."
"I think after the elections, the new U.S. administration will be pressured to reopen many Middle East files, including the interim peace agreements signed between Israel and the Palestinians, mainly Paris Economy Accord," said Awad.
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