The Palestinians are having another go at the United Nations.Has Obama Post-Election “Flexibility” for them in stall?

The Palestinians are having another go at the United Nations.Has Obama Post-Election “Flexibility” for them in stall?(FP).BY JonathanSchanzer.The Palestinians may appeal to the United Nations for statehood. Again.That was the message out of Ramallah on Sunday, June 24, when Fatah, the dominant Palestinian faction in the West Bank, concluded a meeting of its congressBehind the scenes, the Palestinians have even tried to lay a foundation for the coming showdown in September. Hillary Zaken of the Times of Israelfirst reported that Abbas was angling to use the U.N.'s Rio+20 conference on sustainable development, held June 20 to 22 in Brazil, "to advance the PA's status in the eyes of the international community." Indeed, Abbas wanted Palestine to be identified as nothing less than a state at the conference, despite the fact that the U.N. had not yet done so. The Palestinian ambassador to Brazil, Ibrahim Alzeben, later admitted that he was angling for "full-status participation while Israel, the United States, and Canada were reportedly fighting this on the sidelines, and apparently prevailed.
Similarly, in early June, the same three countries cried foul when Palestinian U.N. observer Riyad Mansour was treated as a representative of a state during a meeting of signatories to the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea.
As the U.N.'s online summary account notes, the Canadian delegation protested where the Palestinian observer was seated, noting that it "did not recognize a Palestinian State" and that the seating arrangement "might create a 'misleading impression.'"
The Palestinians, notwithstanding such resistance from the Great White North, actually have broad international support for their initiative. The PLO's Negotiations Affairs Department claims that 128 countries back the notion of a Palestinian state, and the number could be as high as 140. Either way, this is enough support at the General Assembly, in the words of Abbas during a recent trip to Paris, "to obtain the status of nonmember state, as is the case for the Vatican."
But Abbas will need to weigh this international support against the wall of resistance he's getting from Washington. In an interview with the Saudi Okaznewspaper, Erekat said that U.S. President Barack Obama's administration was threatening to suspend aid and close down the PLO mission in Washington if the Palestinians returned to the U.N.
Obama cannot afford to stand back and watch the Palestinians play for statehood as he campaigns for his reelection. If the Palestinians make it across the finish line at the General Assembly, Obama's domestic critics will charge that he threw Israel under the bus.
According to Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki, the Obama administration has instructed the Palestinians to sit tight until after the presidential election.
Abbas has since expressed unease about going back to the U.N. before November. But he also has his own considerations at home, where he's under fire on a few fronts.
As with U.N. membership, joining UNESCO contributes to the Palestinian effort to isolate Israel and avoid direct peace negotiations.
However, the to allow U.S. funding for UNESCO.
Restoring funding to UNESCO would effectively be a green light encouraging the U.N. and its affiliated organizations to grant membership to the Palestinians.
The Palestinians have stated that they intend to pursue U.N. membership. The Administration is sending confusing signals. Congress should remove any ambiguity on its part by making clear to the Administration and the Palestinians that it has no intention of changing the law and will withhold funding to any U.N. organization that grants membership to the Palestinians before a permanent peace agreement, including Palestine’s official recognition of Israel’s right to exist, is negotiated.Hmmmm.......Why does the $ 770 million for future 'Arab Spring' come to my mind?Read the full story here.