About two weeks ago, on July 14, The head of the Palestinian Authority submitted a formal request to the UN, requesting designation of Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem as a UN Protectorate territory, where the UN would take over administrative, civil and military control of these areas. Here is a copy of the Letter, with The Secretary General's forwarding note to the Security Council.
Protectorate status is distinct from Trustee status, where a Non-UN entity assumes direct control. In the modern era, UN Protectorates have been established in East Timor, Cambodia, Slavonia, and Kosovo.See UN protectorates
What does this mean?
A Trusteeship for Palestine?Trustee status for Palestine has been proposed several times, most notably by the US in 1948, after the British conceded they could no longer contain the Arab-Jewish violence a couple of months before the partition plan was to go into effect, a policy reversal from supporting the Partition Plan.
On March 18, the United Nations Special Committee on Palestine reported that it had been unable to arrange a truce and recommended a temporary trusteeship for Palestine in order to restore peace.
The following day, United States Ambassador to the United Nations Warren Austin announced that the United States believes that the partition of Palestine was no longer a viable option. On March 20, United States Secretary of State George Marshall confirmed the United States' view that the proposal for a temporary United Nations trusteeship for Palestine is the only idea presently being considered that will allow the United Nations to address the difficult situation in Palestine.
The plan was drafted by Clark Clifford and Max Lowenstein.
"The United States has proposed to the Security Council a temporary United Nations trusteeship for Palestine to provide a government to keep the peace. Such trusteeship was proposed only after we had exhausted every effort to find a way to carry out partition by peaceful means. Trusteeship is not proposed as a substitute for the partition plan but as an effort to fill the vacuum soon to be created by the termination of the mandate on May 15. The trusteeship does not prejudice the character of the final political settlement. It would establish the conditions of order which are essential to a peaceful solution."
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
UN Trusteeship was proposed again in 2003 by Martin Indyk, during the height of the second Intifada.
Establishment of a Protectorate, or a trusteeship, requires UN Security Council Approval. The US position has been consistent that resolution of the disputed territory can only be accomplished through bilateral negotiations between the PA and Israel. A US veto to any resolution changing the status of the parties would be expected.
Kosovo is an instructive example, although Russia initially agreed to the protectorate status, they later objected to allegedly extra-legal declaration of independence and UNGA recognition. Israel still hasn't recognized Kosovar independence, likely because of the precedent it would establish for Palestine. Israel–Kosovo relations
Serbia still claims Kosovo as part of her Sovereign territory, to date 107 out of 193 member states have recognized Kosovo as independent.
Is this a way out of this mess? Has the opportunity for Bi-lateral negotiations been blown up by this recent conflict, or has it gained new urgency?