Theatre of the Absurd: Mahmoud Abbas' Call for Palestinian Statehood at UN

Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader might have made a formal call for Palestinian statehood at the United Nations, and his speech might have been well received by those who were present however Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu dismissed most of his claims, and he also hinted at the ulterior motives. However, as international observers, one must understand that the conflict in Israel and Palestine is not just about the borders or the settlements, and it is not just about the occupation or the terrorist attacks. The issues are as deep and as old as Jerusalem itself.

The central focus for argument is still over Jerusalem, ironically. The Palestinians will not accept a nation without East Jerusalem as its capital, and the Israelis will not accept to divide the city into two cities divided by an International border again. Each side has their story, which can be justified and also argued against. Mr. Abbas made the formal call not on his own accord but because of growing pressure from within. Palestinian leaders, activities and to an extent, the terrorist organizations working within Palestine and outside its borders have long taunted all Palestinian leaders of being too soft on Israeli methods, and that they are not vocal enough to make calls for formal statehood at the U.N.

Mr. Abbas might have taken this step disregarding warnings and disapprovals by the U.S. and Israel to stabilize his own seat of authority in Palestine. Should a state of Palestine be born, this formal call that he made at the U.N. would raise him to the position of Yasser Arafat. If the statehood is not granted, then he still becomes a tragic hero whose pleas were not heard by an insensitive world. Israel would continue to be demonized and hated, for all its actions and non actions.

In this game of religious and ethnic hatred that divides Muslims and Jews, there are unfortunately no winners. The ancient hatred can be watered down only when there is an acknowledgement of hatred as being the prime cause of all issues and problems. The rest of the problems that the Palestinians and Israelis face today are factors and products of the bias, prejudice and the hatred. While it is difficult to find solutions, and while it is beyond most experienced political analysts to arrive at conclusions, the people of Palestine continue to live in fear, poverty and hatred. The Israelis continue to live in a warped state of safety and democracy while danger lurks just a few miles away.

Binyamin Netanyahu accused the UN of being a "theatre of the absurd". One couldn't agree more. The UN is mute to most International problems. It remained mute when the Bosnians were slaughtered, and it remained mute even when the Southern Sudanese people were massacred. The UN cannot offer solutions in a situation like this. Or will it? Sometimes, absurdity can only be tackled with absurdity. That is perhaps what Israel and Palestine have now understood, and the US and the UN have long known.