The Palestinians raised their flag at the United Nations earlier yesterday for the first time as President Mahmud Abbas called on the world body to grant them full membership.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Mr Abbas presided over the packed ceremony in the Rose Garden after the Palestinian leader launched a searing attack at the General Assembly on Israel’s continued occupation.
“In this historical moment, I say to my people everywhere: raise the flag of Palestinians very high because it is the symbol of our identity,” the 80-year-old Abbas told the crowd. “It is a proud day”.
Israel and the United States have dismissed the move as a symbolic gesture that would not serve the cause of peace. But Mr Ban said symbols were “important” and could lead to action.
“Now is the time to restore confidence by both Israelis and Palestinians for a peaceful settlement and, at last, the realisation of two states for two peoples,” he said.
The red, black, white and green Palestinian flag was then hoisted under dark clouds that threatened rain. The crowd broke out into cheers when it started to flutter in the gentle breeze.
Dozens of people gathered in the West Bank town of Ramallah to watch the flag-raising by TV link. When the small crowd saw Mr Abbas on the screen, they stood cheering and then fell silent to hear him.
The General Assembly voted Sept 10 to allow the flags of Palestine and the Vatican — both have observer status — to be raised at the world body alongside those of member states.
The resolution was backed by 119 countries, with 45 abstentions and eight votes against, including Australia, Israel and the United States.
Mr Abbas used his speech at the General Assembly to appeal for “those countries that have not recognised the state of Palestine yet, to do so”.
“Palestine, which is an observer state in the United Nations, deserves full recognition and full membership,” he said.
“I call on the Israeli government to cease its use of brutal force…particularly its actions at the Al-Aqsa mosque,” he said.
“Such actions will convert the conflict from a political one to a religious one, thus creating an explosive situation in Jerusalem and the remaining Palestinian occupied territory.”
President Abbas told the UN General Assembly that it was no longer bound by the Oslo Peace Accords and subsequent agreements that formed the basis for a two-state solution.
Expressing Palestinian people’s frustration and anger, Mr Abbas said: “As long as Israel refuses to commit to the agreements signed with us, which render us an authority without real powers, and as long as Israel refuses to cease settlement activities and to release of the fourth group of Palestinian prisoners in accordance with our agreements, they leave us no choice but to insist that we will not remain the only ones committed to the implementation of these agreements, while Israel continuously violates them.”
The Oslo agreements, which were signed with Israel in the mid ’90s, are the basis for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian crisis.
