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n his speech before the 66th Session of the UN General Assembly (GA) on Sept. 23, President Mahmoud Abbas announced that in his capacity as president of the State of Palestine and chairman of the executive committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), he had submitted to the UN Secretary-General an application for the admission of Palestine as a UN member state.

Currently, Palestine’s affiliation with the UN is under the category of “other entitiy observer”.

Since Sept. 26, the UN Security Council has held consultations and meetings to consider the application; it has also referred the application to the Committee on the Admission of New Members, which comprises all members of the Council.

The application will remain under the deliberation of the Committee for some time before its further consideration by the Security Council, and by the UN GA at a later stage. But there is a time limit to the work of the Committee.

Many countries supported Palestine’s application. For its part, as stated by Indonesia’s Foreign Minister in his speech before the 66th Session of the UN General Assembly, Indonesia strongly supports Palestine’s quest for full membership in the UN, which is consistent with the vision of a two-state solution, and of a just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East.

The decision by Palestine to seek UN membership was made when progress in the peace process had languished. After a short resumption, direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine were halted on Sept. 26, 2010. Palestine withdrew from direct negotiations when the Israeli settlement moratorium expired without any extension being provided.

Settlement currently seems to be the largest hurdle preventing Palestine from returning to the negotiation table. President Abbas took up this issue at length in his UN speech. To Palestine, as Abbas stated, the settlement policy is seen as the primary cause for the failure of the peace process as it contravenes international humanitarian law and UN resolutions.

The UN option that Palestine chose with the pursuit of statehood certainly does not waive the chance for further negotiations. The UN is indeed a primary vehicle for Palestine’s struggle for justice.

But Abbas also said that the PLO is ready to return immediately to the negotiating table on the basis of the adopted terms of reference based on international legitimacy, and a complete cessation of settlement
activities.

The spirit of returning to negotiations is also seen on the part of Israel. In his speech to the 66th Session of the UN GA, Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel wanted peace; but that peace cannot be achieved through UN resolutions, but only through direct negotiations between the two parties.

Both nations and leaders have, in fact, a commitment to peace. They both have a common desire for resolving the conflict. Thus, the window for talks between Israel and Palestine is not closed at all. The option for peace-making through negotiations is still there.

Talks will be possible if the core issues relating to the strategic interests of both sides are well addressed.

For Palestine’s part, those core issues, which are also regarded as permanent status issues, include refugees, Jerusalem, settlements, and borders.

Today, about 7 million Palestinians live as refugees, and 1.3 million of them are living in around 60 UN-administered refugee camps in the occupied Palestinian territory, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. Regarding Jerusalem, for Palestine, there can be no economically and politically viable Palestinian State without East Jerusalem.

On settlements, Abbas believes that the settlement policy will not only destroy the chances of achieving a two-state solution, but will also threaten to undermine the structure of the Palestinian National Authority, perhaps even leading to its demise.

And a viable two-state solution also depends on a successful resolution of the borders issue. For Palestine, a two-state solution that deviated from the 1967 boundaries would not meet its rights to self-
determination and freedom.

In the meantime, the utmost concern for Israel is security. In his UN speech, Netanyahu underlined the urgency of real security arrangements and said that peace must be anchored in security.

The current situation has undoubtedly toughened positions on both sides but the ice needs to be broken sooner rather than later, as the hearts of both sides do in fact accentuate the longing for talks.

When circumstances are too constricting, anyone else could lend a hand to encourage talks — genuine talks, of course. Thus, the roles played by the Middle East Quartet, the US, the European Union (EU), neighboring and other countries, or group of countries, including the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), will remain pivotal.

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has endured for far too long: 63 years. And the realization of an independent and sovereign Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital within the 1967 borders is long overdue.

The international community is called upon to assist toward its expeditious realization, guided by the two-state vision. For a true and lasting peace, there must be two viable and independent states: Israel and Palestine, living side by side in harmony as equal neighbors.

It is important to keep the light shining at the end of the tunnel. But the tunnel should neither be too long nor too winding. And may the love and familial spirit of Prophet Abraham Alaihissalam (peace be upon him), guide the two brotherly nations in achieving durable peace, harmony, and mutual respect.

The writer is an assistant to the Special Staff to the President on international relations. The opinions expressed are his own.