Palestinians Celebrate UN Victory; Fatah and Hamas Agree

What is seen as the “Israeli defeat at the United Nations” has elated Palestinians and given the Fatah and Hamas factions something to agree upon. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas called the vote a “slap in the face” to Israeli policy” and an “absolute international condemnation to settlements and unanimous support for a two-state solution.” In the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, spokesman for the faction praised the vote asked the international community for “more such supportive positions seeking to bring justice to the Palestinian cause and end occupation.” Sa’ib Erekat, the chief negotiator and secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, declared it to be a “day of victory for international law, a victory for civilized language and negotiation and a total rejection of extremist forces in Israel.”