After America’s fruitless attempts to get Palestine to change its mind about placing an official bid for statehood at the United Nations, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas goes ahead with Palestine’s wishes for recognition at the international body.
RT takes a look at the Obama administration’s waning ability to control the Middle East peace process.There are two main sources of noise in the Big Apple this week. The traffic, and Palestine’s push for statehood at the UN. Taking control of a situation at boiling point is the privilege of those with power, but even the authority of the strongest can wane because those fed up can and will take short cuts – to loud whistles, and even standing ovations. “I would like to inform you that, before delivering this statement, I submitted, in my capacity as the President of the State of Palestine and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, to H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, an application for the admission of Palestine on the basis of the 4 June 1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, as a full member of the United Nations,” said Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in his highly anticipated address to the General Assembly. Palestine officially asks for recognition at the UN – through a Security Council vote. Ignoring America’s repeated warning to veto.“After 63 years of suffering of the ongoing Nakba: Enough. It is time for the Palestinian people to gain their freedom and independence,” said Abbas. Obama – the Nobel Peace prize winner for Middle Eastern efforts – did all he could to prevent this from happening. But American power is gone as a result of flip flopping.“When we come back here next year we will have an agreement that will lead to a new member of the United Nations. An independent, sovereign state of Palestine, living in peace with Israel,” said the US president in his address to the UN General Assembly last year. This year – Palestinians say they were stabbed in the back.“He has created a sense of let down among the Palestinians, the Arabs, even the world – people of good conscience, who expected Obama to live up to his promises and to his values and principles, rather that narrow self-interest,” said PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi. Obama’s explanation:"One year ago, I stood at this podium and I called for an independent Palestine . . . But what I also said is that a genuine peace can only be realized between the Israelis and the Palestinians themselves,” said Obama at the UN General Assembly hall this year. While Palestine makes a historic move at the UN, America loses political points. Its diplomacy a public failure and its ability to control diminished.While the roads for Obama’s motorcade always remain open, with so many other players affected by the traffic created, there will always be the one that gets away.