Abbas: Palestinians to seek full UN membership

[Jefferson23]

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas clarifies that they are seeking to delegitimize the occupation, not Israel, by taking the UN route for Palestinian statehood.

By Haaretz


Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said on Friday that the Palestinians plan to approach the United Nations Security Council for full recognition, clarifying that they are seeking to delegitimize the occupation, not Israel, by taking the UN route for Palestinian statehood.

He stressed that Israel is a legitimate state, but that by continuing to build in the settlements and rejecting the internationally recognized borders of a future Palestinian state, they are engaging in illegitimate activity.

Abbas gave his address in Ramallah a week before the United Nations is set to vote on Palestinian statehood, which is due to take place in the UN General Assembly on September 23.

"What I will take to the UN will be the suffering and concerns of our people that have been taking place over 63 years living under the occupation," Abbas said, adding that the Palestinians, like every nation, deserve independence, adding that the Palestinians want a state based on 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

remainder: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/abbas-palestinians-to-seek-full-un-membership-1.384943

[oberliner]

1. 63 years living under the occupation?

What are we talking about here?