BICOM

According to the Guardian, UK diplomats are urging the Palestinian leadership to delay a bid to upgrade their delegation’s United Nations (UN) status, as it will likely hinder US re-engagement with the peace process.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) appears determined to bring a vote of the UN General Assembly next month on upgrading the status of their UN delegation from a non-member ‘observer entity’ to a non-member ‘observer state’. The PA hopes that the implications of UN statehood will pave the way for widespread recognition of a Palestinian state within pre-1967 borders.

However, Israel has repeatedly warned that issues of Palestinian statehood and borders can only be resolved within the context of bilateral negotiations and that unilateral actions, such as next month’s UN vote, are likely to have a detrimental impact on the prospect of future peace talks.

Earlier this week, Susan Rice, the US representative at the UN Security Council made clear American opposition to the Palestinian upgrade bid, warning that it “would only jeopardize the peace process and complicate efforts to return the parties to direct negotiations.”

According to the Guardian, UK officials have urged their Palestinian counterparts to delay their initiative, as a UN vote in the weeks following the US election would significantly decrease the chances of the next US administration taking an active role in re-starting peace negotiations. The report quotes a UK diplomatic source, saying “Our message to the Palestinians is that going to the UN straightaway could be counterproductive and that a bit more time will help us to help them … We want to see the US take a lead once the presidential elections are out of the way. The US role is key and we stand ready to help them.”