De facto Palestinian statehood

The Palestinian Authority has recently stated its intentions to form a de facto Palestinian state with or without the cooperation of Israel within two years.

In a newly released 65-page document, significant changes to the Palestinian economy — which is currently being strangled by Israeli polices — and the construction of an international airport in the Jordan Valley are just two of the things outlined as being necessary for the move toward Palestinian statehood.

Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said, “We must confront the whole world with the reality that Palestinians are united and steadfast in their determination to remain on their homeland, end the occupation and achieve their freedom and independence.”

Among other things, Palestinians are seeking a sovereign state, which would include the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Coming at a time when the Obama administration is trying to bring Israelis, Palestinians and other Arab leaders to the negotiating table in hopes of working out a peace deal, the logistics of such a plan have been and continue to be complex.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is quick to point out that these desires are not demands but simply obligations that Israel must meet according to international law.

When asked about the plan, Crystal Busenbark, a student at UVU and President of the Peace and Justice club said, “We have the International Court of Justice, we have the United Nations, however, we are not seeing any progress on the ground. I think it’s a great idea.”

However, Fayyad believes that this plan for independent statehood must be implemented within two years, regardless of any progress in peace negotiations. The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, has also called on the U.N. Security Council to recognize a Palestinian state by a certain deadline even if both sides have not reached an agreement.