Palestinian flag raised at UN for first time

[Zarvan]

The flag was raised in the rose garden after President Abbas delivered a speech to the UN General Assembly [Brian Chacon/Al Jazeera]
The Palestinian flag has for the first time been raised at the United Nations following an address delivered by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to the UN General Assembly.

The flag was raised in the rose garden at 1:00pm local time (6:00pm GMT) on Wednesday as a large crowd of diplomats and reporters watched on.

Speaking to the crowd, Abbas dedicated the ceremony to "the martyrs, the prisoners and the wounded, and to those who gave their lives while trying to raise this flag".

Hundreds of Palestinians assembled in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, where they watched the flag-raising on a large screen set up in Yasser Arafat Square.

"The mood is festive," reported Al Jazeera's Imtiaz Tyab, adding that "families sang along to nationalistic songs and waved the Palestinian flag".

Having been strongly criticised by Israel, the move was also opposed by the United States.

Palestinians celebrated in the West Bank city of Ramallah as the Palestinian flag was raised at the United Nations for the first time in history [EPA]
In an op-ed published at the Huffington Post, Abbas called the flag-raising a "moment of hope" and called on the international community to recognise "the independence of the state of Palestine, peacefully resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict".

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Palestine Liberation Organisation Central Council member Mustafa Barghouti described the move as "an important symbolic step".

Read more: Europe's symbolic solidarity with Palestine

"In essence, it will honour the many Palestinians who were killed by Israel while trying to raise that flag in the occupied Palestinian territories," he said earlier in the day.

The General Assembly approved the resolution to raise the flag with an overwhelming majority voting in favour of it on September 10.

The motion passed with 119 votes in favour, while 45 countries abstained and eight voted against, among them Israel, the US and Australia.

But Barghouti also called on the Palestinian leadership to take several steps in order to end the Israeli occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.

Barghouti said the PA should "declare the end of negotiations with Israel because the negotiations have dragged on forever", arguing that Israel has used the peace process as a smokescreen to expand its settlements in the occupied territory in order to "end the idea of a Palestinian state".

After cancelling the Oslo Accords and terminating security cooperation with the Israeli military, the PLO member said that the Palestinian leadership should "support popular resistance" and "encourage a world embargo against Israel".

Read more: Palestinians sceptical of UN statehood vote

In 2012, the UNGA recognised Palestine as a "non-member observer state", a position also held by the Vatican. That followed a failed push for full member state status a year earlier.

Tholfikar Swairjo, the Gaza-based spokesman of the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said that "anything that shows the world that we exist and that we're present" is a "positive development".

But focusing solely on using only diplomatic tools to achieve statehood "will result only in more ink on paper", Swairjo told Al Jazeera. "The struggle for a democratic, independent and secular Palestine will continue on the ground against the Zionist project".

Palestinians watch PA President Mahmoud Abbas' speech to the UNGA on a large screen in East Jerusalem, the site of several clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces in recent weeks [EPA]
Senior Hamas leader Ghazi al-Hamad said the flag-raising is "a positive step", but added that "it's not enough".

The Palestinian leadership in the West Bank has focused too much on "symbolic acts", Hamad told Al Jazeera, adding that only with unity between the West Bank and Gaza can Palestinians "confront the Israeli occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state".

Read more: Abbas warns of 'new Intifada' as al-Aqsa tensions soar

Hamas also called for Abbas to call off all agreements with Israel during his UNGA speech on Wednesday.

Hamad said that Palestinians were in a "dire situation" as Israeli settlements continue to rapidly expand and tensions soar at the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in East Jerusalem, where clashes between Palestinian worshippers and Israeli forces have occurred on a near-daily basis in recent weeks.

Following the UNGA's resolution to raise the flag earlier this month, Israel's permanent representative to the UN, Ron Prosor, condemned the move as "a blatant attempt to hijack the UN", calling for the resumption of direct negotiations between the PA and Israel.

- With reporting by Ali Younes and Patrick Strickland

Source: Al Jazeera and agencies

Palestinian flag raised at UN for first time - Al Jazeera English
@Horus @AUz @Areesh @Arsalan @Gufi @nair @GURU DUTT @ares @Chanakya's_Chant @MilSpec @AUSTERLITZ @Falcon29 and others

 

[bdslph]

really a good news this should have had happen a long time ago

 

[terry5]

Looks Beautiful

 

[waz]

Congrats brothers and sisters.

 

[Hindustani78]

Reuters / Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas kisses a Palestinian flag before raising it during United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations in Manhattan, New York September 30, 2015. Even though Palestine is not a member of the United Nations, the General Assembly adopted a Palestinian-drafted resolution that permits non-member observer states to fly their flags alongside those of full member states. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

 

[lighthouse]

This is first step.

Second step would be to dismantle Zionist occupation and send the jews back to their homes in Germany and Austria so that Israeli flag gets removed.

Zionism is qabza group.

It has to be dismantled for world peace.

MARIA THERESA, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia (1771 - 1789)

"Henceforth no Jew, no matter under what name, will be allowed to remain here without my written permission. I know of no other troublesome pest within the state than this race, which impoverished the people by their fraud, usury and money-lending and commits all deeds which an honorable man despises. Subsequently they have to be removed and excluded from here as much as possible."

 

[Hindustani78]

This is first step.

Second step would be to dismantle Zionist occupation and send the jews back to their homes in Germany and Austria so that Israeli flag gets removed.

Zionism is qabza group.

It has to be dismantled for world peace.

MARIA THERESA, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia (1771 - 1789)

"Henceforth no Jew, no matter under what name, will be allowed to remain here without my written permission. I know of no other troublesome pest within the state than this race, which impoverished the people by their fraud, usury and money-lending and commits all deeds which an honorable man despises. Subsequently they have to be removed and excluded from here as much as possible."

Independent Palestine state prior to 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital . This is what Palestinians wants and on that only majority of countries have accepted.

India is having more relations with Arab world compare to Israel .

 

[Hindustani78]

http://www.thehindu.com/news/intern...ip-and-against-settlements/article9219318.ece

Riyad Mansour on Thursday said that he met with about half the 15-member council in the last 10 days and expects to meet the rest in the next week. He said he will then report back to an Arab ministerial committee which will decide on next steps.
The Palestinians have said they are sounding out members of the UN Security Council on a new resolution demanding a halt to Israeli settlement building and on prospects for becoming a full member of the United Nations.

Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour on Thursday said that he met with about half the 15-member council in the last 10 days and expects to meet the rest in the next week. He said he will then report back to an Arab ministerial committee which will decide on next steps.

Mr. Mansour announced the new Palestinian initiatives ahead of an informal meeting of the UN Security Council today on .

“Illegal Israeli Settlements: Obstacles to Peace and the Two-State Solution.” It was organised by five non-permanent council members Angola, Malaysia, Venezuela, Senegal and Egypt.

The scheduled speakers include representatives from two Israeli human rights groups, Peace Now and B’Tselem, and Americans for Peace Now.

Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon harshly criticised the expected participation of the Israeli organisations.

“During this time of year of reflection and prayer for unity amongst our people, it is sad and disappointing that Israeli organizations are providing moral cover for anti-Israel activities at the UN,” Mr. Danon said.

Mr. Mansour strongly criticised the “dangerous evolution of settlement activities which is threatening to destroy the two-state solution option.”

The Palestinians pushed for the Security Council to adopt a resolution against settlements in February 2011 but it was vetoed by the United States. The 14 other Security Council members voted in favor of the resolution, reflecting the wide support for the draft which had over 100 co-sponsors.

Mr. Mansour said a new resolution would draw from the 2011 text which would have condemned “illegal” Israeli settlements and demanded an immediate halt to all settlement building.

Mr. Mansour said he hasn’t met US Ambassador Samantha Power yet.

“From what has been coming out from Washington, State Department, White House, and what has been written in the media ... there is a strong indication that the United States of America should be sympathetic to a resolution on settlements,” Mr. Mansour said, “although we don’t know for sure because they did not tell us exactly what they will do.”

As for the possibility of Palestine becoming the 194th UN member state, the Security Council’s admissions committee approved a report in November 2011 saying there was no consensus among the 15 council nations on the Palestinian application for UN membership. That application is still before the council.

 

[ali_raza]

historic moment mashallah

 

[Adir-M]

This is first step.

Second step would be to dismantle Zionist occupation and send the jews back to their homes in Germany and Austria so that Israeli flag gets removed.

Zionism is qabza group.

It has to be dismantled for world peace.

MARIA THERESA, Queen of Hungary and Bohemia (1771 - 1789)

"Henceforth no Jew, no matter under what name, will be allowed to remain here without my written permission. I know of no other troublesome pest within the state than this race, which impoverished the people by their fraud, usury and money-lending and commits all deeds which an honorable man despises. Subsequently they have to be removed and excluded from here as much as possible."

The only one that will be sand to somewere is Palestins terrorist and islamic jihadist to the fastest thicket to hell

The only one that will be sand to somewere is Palestins terrorist and islamic jihadist to the fastest thicket to hell

Or europ like syrians hahaha

 

[boomslang]

There is no such thing as 'palestinian'. The U.N. should be bulldozed into the East River........with all the douche bags inside.