BICOM

Foreign Secretary William Hague yesterday advised Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas not to proceed with a move to upgrade the status of the Palestinian United Nations (UN) delegation to that of a ‘non-member state.’

Speaking during Foreign Office questions at the House of Commons, Hague urged the victor of the upcoming US presidential elections “to lead a major push to restart negotiations to arrive at a two- state solution” between Israel and the Palestinians. He warned that “The opportunity to do so is slipping away and may have slipped away in another year or two.”

Hague then said that attempts by the PA to upgrade the status of the Palestinian UN delegation from a non-member ‘observer entity’ to a non-member ‘observer state,’ would be “divisive” in attempts to reach a peace agreement. He said, “We are advising President Abbas not to go down this path.”

UN General Assembly president, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuc Jeremic confirmed earlier this month that a debate on altering the status of the Palestinian delegation is set to be held next month. The PA hopes that the implications of UN statehood will pave the way for widespread recognition of a Palestinian state within pre-1967 borders.  However, Israel has repeatedly warned that issues of Palestinian statehood and borders can only be resolved within the context of bilateral negotiations and that unilateral actions, such as next month’s UN vote, are likely to have a detrimental impact on the prospect of future peace talks.