Palestine
Gains
Observer State
Status Under
Law of the
Sea, US
Opposes
By
Matthew
Russell Lee,
Exclusive
UNITED
NATIONS,
June 8 -- At
this week's
Law of the Sea
meetings,
Palestine
participated
for the first
time as an
Observer
State. While
statements of
objection were
made by
Canada, Israel
and the US,
the
new status was
triggered by
Palestine's
joining
UNESCO, a UN
system
specialized
agency. This
gives them
Observer State
status in the
Law
of the Sea.
There
is a history
here. A
for-now
exclusive look
back by Inner
City Press
finds that on
July 11, 1974,
Senegal
proposed an
"invitation to
national
liberation
movements
recognized by
the
Organization
of
African Unity
or by the
League of Arab
States to
participate in
the
Conference as
observers."
Mr.
Najar of
Israel opposed
it, on
procedural
then
substantive
grounds. Then
it was
approved with
two votes
against it:
(apartheid)
South
Africa and
Israel. There
were 35
absentions.
Mr. Stevenson
of the US
then "placed
on the record
that the
decision just
adopted by the
Conference did
not prejudice
the position
of the
participants
concerning the
matter of the
Conference's
competence."
Plus
ca
change.
On June 4,
2012, the
representative
of Canada said
the way
Palestine
was seated
created a
“misleading
impression."
Israel said it
opposes
"political
posturing" in
an "otherwise
neutral,
professional
forum."
On
June 7, after
the
Palestinian
Observer
offered
congratulations,
Israel called
this an effort
to hijack the
work of the
States
parties,
arguing that
the only way
to make
progress on
the
Israeli-Palestinian
conflict is
through direct
negotiations,
without
preconditions
or shortcuts.
But what about
the sea?
One
of the
opponents of
Palestine's
status told
Inner City
Press, in
front of the
General
Assembly on
Friday
morning, that
Palestine's
move was
"b.s.... they
don't even
have a dingy"
or row
boat.
"Because
they
blow it up,"
came the
response.
Later on
Friday, some
Law
of the Sea
speeches were
listened to by
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon, whose
Secretariat's
accreditation
of the Jewish
National
Fund to go to
Rio + 20
(while
refusing to
follow through
on
statements
that it would
re-accredit
Inner City
Press to cover
the UN
on June 4)
have yet to be
explained. And
so it goes at
the UN.
, 
