Civil Rights, Not Statehood, Should Be Palestinian Focus

Sadia Ahsanuddin and Linah Alsaafin write that despite Palestine's achieving non-member observer status at the UN General Assembly, the quest for statehood is over and Palestinians should shift their attention to obtaining civil rights within Israel.
Palestinians hold posters depicting President Mahmoud Abbas as they celebrate on a street in Gaza City November 30, 2012. The 193-nation U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution on Thursday to upgrade the Palestinian Authority's observer status at the United Nations from "entity" to "non-member state," implicitly recognizing a Palestinian state. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS)
Palestinians hold posters depicting President Mahmoud Abbas as they celebrate the UN vote for Palestinian observer state status on a street in Gaza City, Nov. 30, 2012. - REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

On Nov. 29, 2012, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to upgrade the status of the Palestinian Authority (PA) to a non-member observer state — indicating recognition for a Palestinian state based on the 1967 boundaries.

In the days preceding the vote, Israel lost the support of European allies, including France and 15 other members of the European Union. Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas addressed the General Assembly afterward by saying, “Yes, now we have a state.” His sentiment, though, was premature.

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