{"id":982,"date":"2011-08-22T11:33:06","date_gmt":"2011-08-22T15:33:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/faithandjustice\/?p=982"},"modified":"2011-08-22T11:33:06","modified_gmt":"2011-08-22T15:33:06","slug":"jay-sekulow-the-palestinians-mistake-u-n-bid-for-statehood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/2011\/08\/jay-sekulow-the-palestinians-mistake-u-n-bid-for-statehood.html","title":{"rendered":"Jay Sekulow: The Palestinians’ Mistake – U.N. Bid for Statehood"},"content":{"rendered":"

The problem with the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations is that the world has conceded to the Palestinians the exact result they desire, rather than requiring the result to emerge from bilateral negotiations with the Israelis. Whether there is to exist a two-state solution – and what the borders and qualities of that sovereign and independent state ought to be – should be precisely the question that remains to be answered. Instead, the international community has signaled to the Palestinians that they are entitled to a state no matter what.\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

This sense of entitlement predates the United Nations General Assembly’s Resolution 181 in 1947, which recommended partitioning the area then known as Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state – a proposal that the Palestine Arab Higher Committee rejected in favor of war after Israel declared independence in May of 1948. Although Israel sustained punishing losses over the ensuing eight months of fighting, it managed to expand its territory and solidify its existence.<\/p>\n

Since then, the Arab and Palestinian communities continue to operate under the belief that aggression and terrorism are costless strategies, and that if these tactics fail to achieve better results, they can simply seek the original terms later.<\/p>\n

The latest attempt at this extortionist strategy is the Palestinians’ plan to seek statehood next month at the UN<\/a> via a unilateral declaration of independence. The plan is fraught with problems, beginning with the fact that the UN is only capable of admitting members to the organization, not creating states.<\/p>\n

Incidentally, contrary to what some argue, it was not the UN that created the state of Israel in 1947; Resolution 181 was never accepted by the Arab side. Instead, it was the stable government that Israel established, the defined territory that it controlled, and its eventual acceptance as a state capable of self-governance and foreign relations that solidified its existence as a sovereign nation.<\/p>\n

While the UN does not create states, it can admit members if the Security Council recommends doing so and two-thirds of the General Assembly approves. As a permanent member of the Security Council, the U.S. will likely veto any resolution to admit a Palestinian state as a UN member, meaning the declaration will have no practical effect even at the UN.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, the ploy is illustrative of the Palestinians’ systematic failure over the years to take the hard steps truly necessary for independent statehood and peace.<\/p>\n

The Palestinian people, starting from childhood, are prepared for conflict and war – not peace. Their leaders do not temper fanaticism or deliver tough truths. Instead, for generations, they have celebrated terrorism and fanned the flames of hatred.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the world community has implicitly, if not explicitly, encouraged this behavior by telegraphing to the Palestinians that anything less than statehood will be unacceptable. Perhaps if that fundamental issue were in doubt, the Palestinians would be less bold in insisting upon Israeli concessions – like a right of return for Palestinian refugees displaced over 60 years ago – that would amount to the end of Israel as a Jewish state.<\/p>\n

Much of the world community looks at the Palestinians as noble victims simply because they are weaker than Israel. The U.S. has never taken that approach, but even American leaders have fallen into the trap of believing that creation of a Palestinian state is where negotiations should start.<\/p>\n

It is time to go back to square one. If the Palestinians aspire to join the community of nations as well, it is time for them to start earning it.<\/p>\n

This article was co-authored by Brett Joshpe, who is\u00a0Of Counsel to the ACLJ and the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), our international affiliate that is a recognized non-governmental organization at the United Nations. It also appears in the New York Daily News<\/a> and at our website at the ACLJ<\/a>. Get the latest on this and other issues by visiting the Jay Sekulow<\/a> page at the ACLJ website.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The problem with the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations is that the world has conceded to the Palestinians the exact result they desire, rather than requiring the result to emerge from bilateral negotiations with the Israelis. Whether there is to exist a two-state solution – and what the borders and qualities of that sovereign and independent state ought…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":401,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nJay Sekulow: The Palestinians' Mistake - U.N. 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Jay Sekulow is one of the leading defenders of constitutional rights and religious liberties in the United States. Over the past 25 years, Jay Sekulow has amassed an unparalleled record of accomplishment, arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court on 12 occasions. His aggressive litigation strategy before the Supreme Court has led to many landmark First Amendment victories. In his first case before the Supreme Court, Jews for Jesus, Jay Sekulow secured the right of religious groups to pass out tracks in airports. In Mergens, Jay Sekulow successfully protected the right of students to form Bible clubs and prayer groups on public school campuses. In Lamb\u2019s Chapel, Jay Sekulow cleared the way for churches to have equal access to public facilities in the same way that other groups are permitted to utilize those facilities. In the Bray and Operation Rescue cases, Jay Sekulow protected the free speech rights of pro-life advocates to be free from criminal prosecution for conveying their pro-life message. In McConnell v. FEC, Jay Sekulow protected the right of young people to engage in the political process by donating to the campaign of their choice. In Pleasant Grove, Jay Sekulow paved the way for governments to be able to display Ten Commandments monuments, and other monuments of their choosing, in public parks. Through the ACLJ, Jay Sekulow engages the political, legal, and cultural battles facing America today. He routinely works with Members of Congress, advising them on proposed legislation and representing them in critical legal matters. Jay Sekulow has also testified before Congress on the constitutionality of proposed legislation. Also, in addition to being a successful Supreme Court advocate, Jay Sekulow is a highly respected broadcaster. Jay Sekulow is the host of Jay Sekulow Live! which airs each weekday on over 850 radio stations nationwide, in addition Sirius and XM satellite radio. He brings insight and education to listeners daily through this national call-in radio program. He is also the host of the ACLJ This Week, the ACLJ\u2019s weekly television program. Jay Sekulow regularly appears on major media outlets, including FOX News, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC, where he is sought out for his vast experience in constitutional law and his unique insight into many of the pressing legal and political issues facing America today. He is frequently quoted in the nation's leading newspapers and often contributes opinion editorials to national publications. Jay Sekulow has also published numerous law review and other scholarly articles. Jay Sekulow has received numerous honors for his groundbreaking legal work in the area of free speech and religious liberties. The Legal Times has named Sekulow one of \u201cThe 90 Greatest Washington Lawyers of the Last 30 Years\u201d and the National Law Journal has twice named Sekulow one of the \u201c100 Most Influential Lawyers\u201d in the United States. In addition, TIME Magazine listed Jay Sekulow as one of the \"25 Most Influential Evangelicals\" in America. Jay Sekulow\u2019s legal work in defense of religious liberties and human rights extends beyond the United States, having founded the ECLJ in Strasbourg, France, which maintains consultative status with the United Nations. He has also opened offices in Pakistan, Africa, and Jerusalem, Israel. Jay Sekulow is a staunch defender of Israel, presenting arguments before the International Criminal Court at the Hague. His efforts in support of Israel\u2019s right to defend itself from terrorist attacks have been commended by Israeli government officials, one official stating, \"Jay was instrumentally-involved in projects that the President of Israel and the Prime Minister put on our national agenda.\" Jay Sekulow also has a passion for educating the next generation of religious liberty advocates. He is a member of the Regent University Law School Faculty as a Distinguished Professor of Law and routinely teaches courses on constitutional law and presents guest lectures. Jay Sekulow has also started educational programs in international human rights law in Strasbourg, France and at Handong University in South Korea. Jay Sekulow is a graduate of Mercer University, earning both a bachelor\u2019s degree and doctor of jurisprudence. Sekulow served on the editorial staff of the Mercer Law Review and graduated cum laude. He later earned a Ph.D. from Regent University, writing his dissertation on American Legal History. Jay Sekulow also serves on the Board of Trustees for The Supreme Court Historical Society in Washington, D.C. Jay Sekulow, ACLJ Chief Counsels full biography and video. Jay Sekulow on Facebook. Jay Sekulow on Twitter. Jay Sekulow on YouTube.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/author\/jay_sekulow"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/401"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=982"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/982\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":991,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/982\/revisions\/991"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/faithandjustice\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}