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Implications of Palestinian Statehood - by Stephen Lendman
International law supports Palestinian statehood and full UN membership.
Previous articles discussed likely Palestinian statehood and full UN membership if proper procedures are followed.
They also suggested Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will belie his supportive rhetoric by betrayal at the 11th hour.
When the General Assembly meets later in September, we'll know which Abbas shows up - a leader representing his people or an Israeli collaborationist like so often before. Smart money says the latter.
A September Anne Suciu and Attorney Limor Yehuda Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) paper headlined, "Human Rights in the Occupied Territories: Possible Implications of the Recognition of Palestinian Statehood," explaining future possibilities under statehood.
They depend on what course Abbas and the Palestinian Authority (PA) choose, how Israel and Washington respond, and which side Western, regional, and other countries support.
ACRI agrees that full de jure UN membership is unlikely. Nonetheless, "the very recognition of Palestinian statehood" by a decisive General Assembly two-thirds majority "would have significant repercussions."
In fact, if statehood and full UN membership are granted, Palestine would "become party to international conventions and international courts." As a result, it would have new tools to uphold its rights as do all other recognized nations.
Conditions for Statehood Recognition
ACRI cites four 1933 Montevideo Convention criteria:
- a permanent population;
- a defined territory;
- an effective government; and
- the ability to have diplomatic relations with other states.
In his important book titled, "Palestine, Palestinians and International Law," Law Professor and former PLO legal advisor Francis Boyle also discussed them, explaining that:
