After the historical result of the vote during the last General Assembly of the United Nations held on the 28th November 2012, a possible new chapter opened in the history of the Middle East.
With an overwhelming majority, the United Nations welcomed the Palestinian Authority as “Non-member observer State”, upgrading it from the previous status of “entity”, and in this way implicitly recognising Palestine as a State.
While Europe was once again divided on the matter, with the Czech Republic voting against and nine states abstaining from the vote, a further step has been taken in the direction of a long-lasting peace in the area.
However, not only Europe was divided on the vote. While Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority and Chair of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, welcomed the decision of the UN, declaring that the intention of the bid was not “to delegitimize a State (Israel) established years ago, but rather to affirm the legitimacy of the State that must now achieve its independence”, a part of Palestinians felt indignation at a decision that means losing their rights and which was agreed by somebody not entitled to represent all Palestinians.
We must keep in mind that the Palestinian territory is divided in two parts: the West Bank, under control of the Palestinian Authority, and Gaza, governed by the Hamas which, through its leader Khaled Meshaal, backed Abbas as a joint strategy to empower all Palestinians.
Will the bid change anything? Will this decision help the peace process between Israel and Palestine?
While Hamas and Fatah are getting closer, the “symbolic” decision taken by the United Nations can be a starting point for a new era. European votes showed that rather than giving unconditional support to Israel, what really matters is the end of hostility. Their vote showed that Europe is finally interested in the conflict, and that the primary interest is no longer merely economic, but rather in achieving social stability in the area.
The “Two-states solution”, as the United Nations calls it, seems a little bit closer: war is never a successful solution, and if young people may forgive and look ahead, we can hope to see a new generation living together under the same sky.
Written by Alfredo Sellitti, AEGEE-Salerno & Fundraising Responsible of the EuroArab Project