Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Jiang Yu, said today that "having their own state is an inalienable right of the Palestinian people, and also the basis on which Palestine and Israel can achieve peaceful coexistence," reports Ma Liyao and Cui Haipei, of China Daily in Beijing backs Palestinian statehood.
In a diplomatic and strategic move certain to inspire, and gain the respect of the grassroots political movements throughout the Middle East, Arab and Islamic world, Jiang Yu continues:
"We understand, respect and support Palestine's plan to submit the issue to the UN."
China consistently supports the regaining of the Palestinian people's legal national rights and the establishment of an independent country with East Jerusalem as its capital and with full sovereignty, she added.
"It is good for the lasting stability of the Middle East," Jiang said.
China supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state and appreciates efforts to push forward the process in peaceful talks, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday told the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in a phone call that he is determined to go to the United Nations to bid for full membership.
The UN General Assembly will meet in three weeks to discuss recognition of the Palestinian State. The United States is blocking the Palestinian request for membership in the UN with our veto power in the UN Security Council.
If the UN bid succeeds, Abbas said the Palestinian Authority would discuss the details of a future Palestinian state in talks with Israel.
The move is opposed by both Israel and the United States, which threatened financial sanctions against the Palestinian Authority.
125 countries have already recognized the Palestinian state. The US has mounted a strong diplomatic effort to persuade the Palestinians not to press their request to the General Assembly, even threatening to cut off financial aid.
However, given the GOP control of the House some believe a cut-off of US funding is inevitable, perhaps, creating an opening for China, the EU, and Arab countries to step in to make up the gap.
It is sad to see the US joining Israel in a Thelma and Louise like jump into a canyon of political self-destruction of our international credibility and perceived legitimacy, sacrificing so much international prestige and moral leadership for such a futile and misguided cause, while Prime Minister Netanyahu has not credible plan for an end game to his position to continue to appropriate and settle Palestinian land in the West Bank.
Both the US and Israel would be wiser to cease these objections to the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people and endorse their bid for recognition as a grand gesture, so negotiations about exact borders, and a peace negotiations can resume on a more equal basis.
By continuing to oppose the Palestinian's UN bid, we appear petty, hypocritical, and will aggravate and disappoint those in the Middle East, and Arab worlds who have hoped for greater leadership from the United States.
Update: This morning Haaretz reports this interesting development, Palestinians deny submitting official statehood request to UN.
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) denied Thursday that it had submitted an official request to the United Nations to recognize Palestine as a member of the world body.
The letter sent to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's office in Ramallah declaring the launch of a campaign to gain statehood recognition was not an official Palestinian Authority document, a Palestinian official said Thursday, but rather a grassroots attempt to garner support ahead of the UN vote in later September, ...
A new grassroots campaign, however, had submitted such a request to UN Secretary General. The initiative is entitled, National Campaign Palestine: State no. 194, and is backed by various Palestinian activists. ...
A spokesman for the PLO negotiations affairs department, Xavier Abu Eid, however, said that letter was not official and only the PLO could make the final and official request for state recognition. ...
"The PA does not have any international relations mandate. The only one that can negotiate or sign agreements is the PLO, so the PLO is going to submit the official request," he said.
This broke just as I woke up to publish this article I wrote last night, so I will leave interpretation of this to the comments which can be an open thread, on anything related to foriegn policy and the Middle East.
Technically, I'm still on vacation, and have only been seduced back into writing here so soon by the success of my brief article last night.
I suffer from a bad case of blogoholism, which I am getting professional help on, so I'll struggle not to comment to much. If anyone sees me commenting extensively, please tell me to go away. -- cheers.