For my International Law class (for those who don’t know, I’m working on my Master’s Degree at University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy), I was asked to write a UN resolution and a strategy for getting it adopted. I thought folks here might be interested in seeing what i came up with, as sort of a thought experiment.
Keep in mind, the idea here was to be realistic and come up with a resolution that made sense to present. I am in the role of an adviser to Mahmoud Abbas, and the time was supposed to be mid-2011, so I could focus on the real possibility, at the time, of going to the UN that coming September. The scope is narrow, so I’m not trying to get him to rethink his entire approach to the occupation.
So, of course, I’m recommending a General Assembly, rather than a Security Council approach.
Comments are welcome. The resolution I wrote is pasted below. The longer strategy paper (in an MS Word document) is at this link.
Resolution Presented to the General Assembly
The General Assembly,
Recalling its previous resolutions on the question of Palestine: in particular, Resolution 181 of November 29, 1947, and Resolution 194 of December 11, 1948,
Recalling Security Council resolutions on the same matter, particularly Resolution 242 of November 22, 1967, Resolution 338 of October 22, 1973, and Resolution 1397 of March 12, 2002,
Reaffirming the commitment by the United Nations to a negotiated, two-state settlement to this conflict,
Taking note of the fact that the Declaration of Principle of the Oslo Accords envisioned a 5-year negotiating period which would have ended, at the latest date, in 2000,
Observing that the Palestinian residents of the West Bank and Gaza Strip live under occupation and blockade executed by the State of Israel and that this condition has been sustained for 44 years,
Reiterating the General Assembly’s long-held concern over the plight of Palestinian refugees
Emphasizing the right of all people in the region to the enjoyment of human rights as enshrined in the international human rights covenants,
Noting the International Court of Justice’s ruling that the construction of the wall being built by Israel, the occupying Power, in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including in and around East Jerusalem, and its associated regime are contrary to international law,
Stressing the need for full compliance with the Israeli-Palestinian agreements reached within the context of the Middle East peace process, and the implementation of the Quartet road map to a permanent two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,
1. Affirms the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination in a free and democratic state
2. Reiterates the call for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict
3. Urges all parties to cease activities that create “facts on the ground” and return to negotiations to reach a two-state agreement with all due haste
4. Declares the view of the General Assembly that any such solution must include agreement on borders which will be based on those which existed on June 4, 1967 and an agreement to share the city of Jerusalem as the capital of both the State of Israel and the State of Palestine
5. Recalls the need to resolve the Palestinian refugee crisis in accordance with General Assembly resolution 194
6. Expresses the strongly held view that such a solution must include security arrangements that protect both states’ security, preserve Palestine’s sovereignty, and deal effectively with existing and emerging threats facing Israel;
7. Declares that the status of Palestine at the United Nations is upgraded from observer entity to non-member observer state.