The steps taken by Mahmoud Abbas for Palestine to join 15 UN bodies has elicted reactions from several members of the US Congress and, of particular note, from the US ambassador to the United Nations, where reason appears to have been dethroned.
Ambassador Samantha Power told a House of Representatives subcommittee on April 2, “The United States will stand with Israel, we will defend it, and we will challenge every instance of unfair treatment throughout the UN system. … This solemn commitment also extends to a firm opposition to any and all unilateral actions in the international arena, including on Palestinian statehood, that circumvent or prejudge the very outcomes that can only come about through a negotiated settlement.” Is it not possible that they could come through the United Nations if the current Palestinian-Israeli negotiations fail, as they have to this point? Have there been negotiations in a real or legal sense?