Arab League Endorses UN Route, but UN Says Security Council First for Palestinian Initiative

Plans to achieve Palestinian statehood through the United Nations received approval from a key committee of the Arab League on Saturday, but might had nevertheless hit a roadblock when the president of the General Assembly said on Friday that recognition of the new state must begin with a resolution in the Security Council where President Obama has indicated he would veto the measure.  Addressing the Arab League in Doha, Palestinian Authority head Mahmoud ‘Abbas warned of the financial consequences the statehood decision would entail and asked Arab nations to fill in the fiscal gap. In New York on Friday, General Assembly President Joseph Deiss of Switzerland (seen in photo with Secretary General Ban Ki-moon) explained that “the General Assembly cannot take the initiative” in launching the Palestinian state, but expressed support, saying that “we are ready to do our work as soon as a recommendation of the Security Council would be addressed.” The Palestinians and those who support the U.N. path to statehood are not giving up hope. It remains to be seen whether the incoming U.N. leadership will find a way to reverse Deiss’s reading of the U.N. Charter. In September, Qatar will replace Switzerland in the General Assembly presidency and Lebanon’s representative will become chairman of the Security Council.