Palestinian statehood goes to U.N. admissions panel

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United Nations (CNN) -- The United Nations Security Council agreed Wednesday to send the Palestinian application for statehood to its admissions committee for review.

The first meeting of that committee, which includes all 15 members of the council, is set for Friday.

The debate, however, is expected to be largely symbolic in the face of a promised U.S. veto. But the permanent observer of the Palestinian Authority to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, held out hope prior to this week that the application would be accepted.

"We hope that the Security Council will shoulder its responsibility and address this application with a positive attitude, especially since we have 139 countries that have recognized the state of Palestine so far, meaning more than two-thirds majority," he said. "We are ready to govern ourselves."

http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/28/world/meast/un-palestinian-statehood/

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1. Erdogan says entire world a slave to Security Council decisions

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"Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said the entire world is literally a slave to the decisions of five permanent seat holders in the United Nations Security Council, questioning why no sanctions have been imposed on Israel which he said could be helpful in solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Erdoğan criticized the structure of Security Council in an interview with Time magazine and urged the elimination of their seats. He said one might wonder why no sanctions have been imposed on Israel while there are sanctions against Iran and Sudan. He argued that had these sanctions been imposed in this day and age, the Palestine-Israel conflict would have been resolved a long time ago.

To achieve this, he claimed the UN needs reform, particularly in the Security Council. “What's the deal with these permanent seat holding members in the Security Council? They should be eliminated. The entire world is literally a slave to the decisions of these five permanent seat holders,” Erdoğan said in the interview.

He also said that what is now required for the UN Security Council to say “yes” to the legitimate demands of the people in Palestine. Speaking about 1967 borders, Erdoğan said Israel first seemed to have accepted going back to the borders of 1967, but somehow seemed to have got distanced from this ideal, urging Israel to get closer back to it.

Being a staunch supporter of Palestinians’ statehood bid during UN meetings, Erdoğan urged world nations in his UN address to recognize Palestine as an independent state. Erdoğan said in the interview that he wants to make a call out to humanity: “(the Palestinians) are there to exist. They are not there to be condemned to struggle in an open-air penitentiary.” Erdoğan’s criticized Israel's cruelty toward Palestinians and said it cannot be continued any longer."

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-258178-erdogan-says-entire-world-a-slave-to-security-council-decisions.html

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2. Boy, he is really on a tear. nt

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3. Israel's cabinet fails to reach consensus on Quartet plan for talks with Palestinians

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the eight senior cabinet members were unable to reach an agreement regarding the Quartet's initiative for renewed talks between Israel and the Palestinians, despite prolonged discussions lasting until 2:00 A.M. on Wednesday.

Netanyahu was expected to support the Quartet's proposal; however, due to a lack of consensus with the senior cabinet members, no decision was reached.

The plan, presented Friday at UN Headquarters in New York by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, calls for Israel and the Palestinian Authority to renew direct talks within a month, to present proposals on borders and security within three months, and to reach a final agreement by the end of 2012.

Israeli government officials said they believed PA President Mahmoud Abbas will prefer to see his statehood bid through in the UN rather than renewing dialogue with Israel.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-s-cabinet-fails-to-reach-consensus-on-quartet-plan-for-talks-with-palestinians-1.387164