US to Netanyahu: Abbas intends to dissolve Authority

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas giving his speech at the UN Israel’s state television reported that the US administration and European countries informed Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to the UN, that Palestinian leader Abbas is on the verge of taking decisive measured regarding the fate of the Palestinian Authority and dissolving it if real achievements relating to the Palestinian state did not take place and decisions regarding the future of negotiations with Israel. Sources added that Abbas was very clear and sharp with Obama, when the US President requested that Abbas not go ahead with the UN bid, pointing out that Abbas told Obama that Palestinian people have gotten fed up and tired of negotiations which Israel takes advantage of to impose facts on the ground, adding that he will not betray his people and their case, and end up making Israel’s dreams of expanding come true. Sources confirmed that Washington informed Netanyahu that Israel will be facing a serious disaster if the Palestinian authority were to dissolve, which Abbas strongly suggested during his visit, explaining that Abbas said word-for-word that: “We established the authority in order to achieve peace and guarantee the rights of our people and not for their loss and I'm not prepared to take historical responsibility in front of my people and the Arab world for the continuation of the deadly and destructive Israeli politics to peace in the region." They added that Obama and his advisors listened intently to Abbas’s speech while complete amazement covered their faces, while the US administration is carrying out talks with Arab countries, including Saudi arabia and Egypt, in order to avoid any negative outcomes that may affect Washington’s honest if they were to use their Veto against the UN bid.

Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas on Friday applied for full UN membership for a Palestinian state, defying US and Israeli opposition. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said his country was ready for “painful compromises”. Defying U.S. and Israeli opposition, Palestinians asked the United Nations on Friday to accept them as a member state, sidestepping nearly two decades of failed negotiations in the hope this dramatic move on the world stage would re-energize their quest for an independent homeland. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was greeted by sustained applause and appreciative whistles from the delegations in the General Assembly hall as outlined his people’s hopes and dreams of becoming a full member of the United Nations. Some members of the Israeli delegation, including Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, left the hall as Abbas approached the podium.
To another round of applause, he held up a copy of the formal membership application and said he had asked U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon to expedite deliberation of his request to have the United Nations recognize a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Shortly after, Ban announced that he had referred the application to the Security Council, where it is expected to founder under the weight of U.S. opposition and a possible veto. Action on the membership request could take weeks, if not months.


President Mahmoud Abbas called in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday on the world community to support his bid for membership in the UN and for statehood, describing it as support for truth. “The support of the countries of the world for our endeavor is a victory for truth, freedom, justice, law and international legitimacy, and it provides tremendous support for the peace option and enhances the chances of success of the negotiations,” he said. “Your support for the establishment of the State of Palestine and for its admission to the United Nations as a full member is the greatest contribution to peacemaking in the Holy Land,” said Abbas to a roaring applause. Abbas received a warm welcome and standing ovation when he took to the podium of the UN General Assembly to make his 40-minute long speech.

Tens of thousands of Palestinians erupted into cheers of victory across the West Bank on Friday as their president handed over a request for full United Nations membership. In central Ramallah, Arafat Square roared its approval with whistles and raucous cheering when Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, whose speech was broadcast on giant television screens, announced the bid had been submitted. "Abbas, we are your people and you truly make us raise our heads high," they shouted. "With our souls and our blood, we will defend Palestine!"
Similar sights played out across the rest of the West Bank, where tens of thousands of people turned out to watch Abbas's speech. "There are tens of thousands of people who are now in the centre of the main cities like Ramallah, Hebron and Nablus," security services spokesman Adnan Damiri told AFP.
In Hebron, crowds cheered as a huge balloon decorated with a Palestinian flag and a picture of Abbas was released above them into the night.
Waving their national flag, the exuberant crowd chanted "Palestine 194" in reference to their bid to become the 194th member state of the United Nations. Ahead of Abbas's speech, the mood was festive, with dancing and singing and plenty of noisy celebration. But as he approached the UN podium to address the General Assembly, crowds in cities across the West Bank fell silent.
They listened, waiting for the moment he would officially announce he had handed over the request for the UN to accept Palestine as a full member state -- and then they went wild.
Men and women jumped up and down, arm-in-arm, waving flags and chanting "God is great, God is great!"
"It's just wonderful, it's very emotional," said Mona Matar, a professor of computer science at Bethlehem University.
"I'm so lucky to live to see this day, us having the courage to say no to everybody. To see that Abbas does not care what Obama wants, but what his people want."
At the end of the speech, the crowd again began to cheer, parents boosting their children onto their shoulders, and posing for pictures by giant posters featuring Abbas and his predecessor Yasser Arafat. The ghost of Arafat, the iconic Palestinian leader, loomed large over the proceedings, with the crowd frequently chanting his name and cheering at Abbas's mention of the former president. "We really miss Arafat at this historical moment," Matar said. "He was something special."
In Nablus, massive crowds were entertained by the Al-Ashaqeen folk band, which played patriotric songs to the delight of the crowd.
Majed Hussein, a government employee, welcomed Abbas's speech.
"Today we got back our dignity. Obama and America can go to hell. We don't need their money, we need our dignity," he said.
"The president's (Abbas's) speech was touching," added Mohammed Kayed, a farmer. "But I wanted to hear him tell Obama that his speech was unjust to the Palestinians and using the veto would be the biggest injustice."