2018 PALESTINE POSITION PAPER
West Valley High School
Heather Damario, heather.damario@k12northstar.org
Introduction
The delegation from the State of Palestine proudly submits its goals for the United Nations’ consideration as a state often left out of the global dialogue. Palestine remains willing to cooperate with member nations of the UN despite the body’s consistent failure to recognize the Palestinian people.
Palestine, also referred to as the West Bank, is located in the Middle East, with Jordan bordering it to the east and Israel to the west. Palestine’s 2,747,943 residents are mostly Palestinian Arabs, but there is a population of 391,000 Israeli settlers/refugees. West Bank’s GDP per capita in 2014 was 4,300 USD, with exports of stone, olives, fruit, vegetables, and limestone. Palestine imports food, consumer goods, construction materials, petroleum, and chemicals.
Palestine and Global Cooperation
The increasing presence of nuclear technology in the middle east and around the world has been a worrying topic in today’s international political scene. Israel is widely believed to have nuclear weapons, and although this notion has yet to be confirmed, its possibility is spine chilling for the people of Palestine, who condemn this practice. Another dangerous blip on the radar is Iran’s nuclear program which has been very controversial and has also been condemned by Palestine. The Palestine Authority, along with Israel, Egypt, Jordan and other members have been cooperating on SESAME, which stands for Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications for the Middle East. This project generates intense light for scientific and technological research, and is a form of nuclear cooperation in the middle east.
Around the world, Terrorism rears its ugly head in any state or region where the international community has failed to properly establish the borders of one nation and the beginning of another. This leads to a constant challenge to the legitimacy of rightful governments, providing a capable breeding ground for terrorist groups and other extremists to hold major political relevance. The United States heavy handed approach to Palestinian relations with Israel has endangered the possibility of a two-state solution in a way that can’t be fully quantified. As long as there is uncertainty surrounding the existence of a Palestinian state, which has been long in the making, there will also be violent insurgencies who seek a quick resolution to a question which has eluded the people of both nations for at least 70 years. Palestine wants to strongly emphasize that they have been a cooperative partner in a two state solution but the US collusion with the Israeli government renders any future agreements with US backing illegitimate. Palestine strongly supports the appointment of a new lead negotiating body that doesn’t consist of the US or any other country with a demonstrated partiality in the agreement. Palestine remains committed to a peaceful resolution in the region but their demands must be fairly considered.
The Future of Palestine
Finally, Palestine, as a non-voting member of the United Nations, has been an integral part of many UN resolutions and believes that the time has come to amend the UN charter to integrate Palestine as a full member of the General Assembly with voting privileges as such. As Article 14 provides for the UN power to recommend peacebuilding suggestions, Palestine feels it is entitled to a bigger seat at the table in matters of peace in the region. However, partisanship must be put aside in order to grant necessary legitimacy to the people of Palestine in the world’s greatest political body and to ensure a lasting peace in the region.