Ron Prosor, Israel’s new ambassador to the United Nations, asks the Palestinian Authority observer in a debate, “Do you represent PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas or Hamas?” Prosor also declared that the appeal to the United Nations to recognize the PA as a new country is a “false idol.” “Let me turn to my Palestinian colleague [PA observer Riyad Mansour] and ask a simple question,” Prosor said. “On behalf of whom will you present a resolution in September? Mr. Abbas or Hamas? “Will it be on behalf of both the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas terrorist organization, which advances a charter calling for the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews? Will it be on behalf of Akram Haniyeh – the PA’s Chief Spokesman— or Ismail Haniyeh – the Hamas Prime Minister in Gaza who said recently, “When I say ‘the land of Palestine,’ I am not referring [only] to the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and Jerusalem…I refer to Palestine from the [Mediterranean] Sea to the [Jordan] River, and from Rosh HaNikra to Rafiah.” Prosor’s comments wee part of a debate, the last discussion in the United Nations before the scheduled Arab League attempt in September to pass a resolution for establishing the Palestinian Authority as an independent country based on its unilateral political and territorial definitions. Riyad Mansour, the PA observer in the United Nations, did not rebut Prosor and instead repeated arguments that Israel has been an obstacle to peace with the Palestinian Authority. "Like a false idol, the Palestinian initiatives at the United Nations may be superficially attractive to some. Yet, they distract from the true path to peace," Prosor said. He continued, “Some of those who speak most loudly and clearly about the interests of Palestinians suddenly seem to lose their voice, hesitate, and mumble when it comes to discussing Israel’s vital interests – its recognition as a Jewish state and it right to live within safe and secure borders. “Many have recognized that Palestinian attempts to create a state by bypassing negotiations are akin to picking out a chimney pot for one’s house before laying its foundation. They see the potential consequences of mistrust and unmet expectations that could lead to violence.” Prosor also countered Palestinian Authority claims that it is ready to be independent. “Even the most basic condition for statehood does not exist,” he said, “The Palestinian Authority does not maintain effective control of all its territory nor does it hold a monopoly on the use of force. The Hamas terrorist organization still maintains de facto control in Gaza.” In Mansour’s remarks, he did say whether the Palestinians will seek U.N. membership as a sovereign state – which requires Security Council approval – or will push for a non-binding resolution recognizing a Palestinian state.
