UN chief: Palestinians to join international conventions by May 2

[Jefferson23]

Source: Haaretz

Ban begins processing request to join UN auspice, procedure to end exactly one month after submitting official request.

By Barak Ravid | Apr. 10, 2014 | 2:50 PM

United Nations Secretary of General Ban Ki-moon signed late Wednesday the official documents indicating that he had received and begun processing the Palestinians' request to join the 10 international conventions under the auspices of the UN.

In the documents, which were distributed to all of the countries that are signatory to the particular conventions in question, the UN chief wrote that the State of Palestine would be added to the conventions on May 2 – 30 days after the official request was submitted by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Western diplomats said that a similar announcement would be released in the near future by the Swiss government, sponsor of the Fourth Geneva convention, which the Palestinians have also requested to join. It is still not clear whether the government of Holland, which sponsors The Hague convention, will follow suit in publishing a statement.

Officials in Israel's Foreign Ministry said that according to conversations held in recent days with counterparts at the UN headquarters in New York and Meanwhile, Palestinian and Israeli negotiators were meeting Thursday afternoon with U.S. envoy Martin Indyk for the third time in the last five days. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Netanyahu's envoy Isaac Molho were representing Israel at the triumvirate, while the Palestinian delegation consisted of chief negotiator Saeb Erekat and the of general intelligence, Majad Faraj.


Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.585013

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snip* of filed document:

INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE SUPPRESSION AND PUNISHMENT OF THE CRIME
OF APARTHEID NEW YORK, 30 NOVEMBER 1973

STATE OF PALESTINE
ACCESSION

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, acting in his capacity as depositary,communicates
the following:

The above action was effected on 2 April 2014
http://treaties.un.org

[Jesus Malverde]

1. It's curious that Israel cited Palestine joining international conventions...

as an affront to the framework to the peace process.

Far from it, Palestine joining in international conventions is a positive development for civilization and international order everywhere.

[Jefferson23]

2. Exactly, but that is the upside down world you see regarding this conflict. n/t

[karynnj]

3. It would be interesting to see if this jolts Israel into serious negotiations

The Israeli argument is that this can happen only through negotiations with them and that this is unilateral.

Oddly, Israel not suspending settlements during the various negotiations might actually come back to bite Israel. The fact that it has been 47 years and within that time Israel has not annexed the area and given the people citizenship or allowed them to be an independent state has made Israel's position untenable - even without the development of illegal settlements.

This could cause things to blow up -- but it also might correct partially the huge difference in power.

[cosmicone]

4. Israel doesn't want Palestinians to have legitimacy

of any kind so the world will continue to see them as a rag-tag band of thugs and terrorists.

The more legitimacy Palestinians get, the harder it will be for Israel to continue its land grab.