Bennett skipped the one word UN wanted to hear: Palestinians - analysis

• Published date: 29 September 2021
• Author: TOVAH LAZAROFF

It's an omission that is consistent with his very clear philosophical stance since taking office in May, that he is opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state and has no interest in speaking with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

It's one thing to make such statements in Israel or even in an interview with The New York Times. It is quite another, however, to do so at the UN General Assembly, where a majority of its members already recognize Palestine as a state and which is considered the Palestinian's diplomatic home court.

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The Palestinians and a two-state resolution to the conflict took a back seat to larger issues of the day at the opening session of the 76th UNGA. Internationally, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic certainly got more air time as heads of state took the podium over the last week.

But that doesn't mean the UN doesn't care about this issue or that a majority of member states don't want to see it resolved.

US President Joe Biden gave the issue a passing nod, but at least he mentioned it. He stated that "we're a long way from" the creation of a two-state resolution to the conflict, but "we must never allow ourselves to give up on the possibility of progress."

Many of the Middle East leaders and foreign ministers who took the stage did speak of it – including those from Jordan, Qatar, Morocco, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Jordan's King Abdullah emphasized the importance of moving now toward a two-state resolution, stating the status quo was not sustainable.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also brought the matter up with Bennett when the two met on the sidelines of the UNGA.

Abbas, who addressed the UNGA by video dedicated his entire speech to the conflict, of course.

Israel's Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan immediately derided Abbas for promoting falsehoods against Israel and for demanding an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines.

"Those who truly support peace and negotiations do not threaten delusional ultimatums from the UN platform as he did in his speech," Erdan stated.

But at the end of the day, despite the language he used, Abbas put forward a one-year peace plan. He stated his parameters for that peace and called on the Quartet to broker it.

Whether one agrees with Abbas's proposal or disagrees with it, at least it was an attempt to make progress.

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