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Recently, The United Nations granted Palestine observer status. What, if anything, does this enable Palestine to do that they couldn't do before, or is the gesture simply a symbolic step?

Sven Clement
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Mr. November
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2 Answers2

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From Wikipedia:

Observers have the right to speak at United Nations General Assembly meetings, participate in procedural votes, and to sponsor and sign resolutions

Most importantly, it gives Palestinians access to other U.N. bodies like the International Criminal Court, where Palestinians could launch complaints against Israel. Example:

Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Russian Parlament Mikhail Margelov felt that raising the representation of Palestine to the recipe a non-member observer state at the United Nations allows the Palestinians to file complaints and lawsuits against the “entity” in the International Court in The Hague.

Margelov told reporters, “The General Assembly of the United Nations lifted Palestinian representation to recipe observer State is a member of the United Nations, a status that enables Palestinians to file complaints and lawsuits against military strikes Zionism to United Nations agencies of the 18, including the Hague tribunal.” (src)

Moreover, pretty much everyone admits that - in practice - the vote amounted to recognition of sovereignty. Example: Reuters.

Community
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user4012
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  • Care to find another source? – Kevin Peno Dec 05 '12 at 18:21
  • @KevinPeno - How is Wikipedia insufficient? – user4012 Dec 05 '12 at 18:21
  • Let me go find a reference to a yahoo answer as to why its not the best source ;) (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090511152328AA4BsVG) – Kevin Peno Dec 05 '12 at 18:24
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    This too far-reached as an answer. The access to the other institutions was alreafy given to Palestinians as part of Israel. While politically not liked this was the case before the admission. Even if it is a de facto recognition that is still short of being more than a symbolic act. Only full membership equals to formal recognition. – Sven Clement Dec 05 '12 at 18:29
  • @SvenClement - cite? – user4012 Dec 05 '12 at 18:42
  • "The international community regards the West Bank and East Jerusalem as territories occupied by Israel, and, although it has withdrawn its military forces, Israel continues to be designated the occupying power in the Gaza Strip by the United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom and various human rights organizations." (Wikipedia but can cite other sources) This implies that inhabitants of the region can be internationally represented under the Israeli denomination. Also having access to the Criminal Court. – Sven Clement Dec 05 '12 at 18:56
  • @SvenClement - I am not sure how your second sentence is implied by the first one. – user4012 Dec 05 '12 at 19:13
  • If a country is occupied its citizens are subject to the law of the occupier which implies that they also get the international recognition as a part of the occupiers territory. This implies that they already had the possibility to go to the ICC which could of course decline to hear any case. But being an observing non-member is not precondition for that. – Sven Clement Dec 05 '12 at 19:23
  • @DVK the Russian MP clearly says that he feels like it would be the case, but feelings do not mean it's real ;) – Sven Clement Dec 06 '12 at 09:40
  • @SvenClement - He is basically telegraphing the official position of one of the world's superpowers sitting on Security Council. He's not exactly Zhirinovsky the Clown – user4012 Dec 06 '12 at 11:33
  • And yet there is no legal basis to support the claim. As I illustrated, the legal basis for those actions existed long before. So even if he would be God/Allah/Buddah/… himself it would only remain an opinion. It can be that it is the opinion of Russia that it had such implications, as it is also the opinion of Germany that it didn't or of Israel that it had even less effect… – Sven Clement Dec 07 '12 at 07:06
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This is purely a symbolic step.

The only real implication is that Palestine now has the right to have a permanent delegation to the U.N. Those employees get access to all the documents to prepare the meetings but to nothing which is not public anyway.

Sven Clement
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