Palestinian officials are meeting with members of the Arab League in Cairo to discuss a bid for statehood in the UN. They are expected to first take their case to EU to gain support before going to the UN. Statehood status would allow Palestine access to the World Court and various other UN institutions. The US and Israel have stated they will stop any statehood bid and the move is sure to reverberate in both the Jewish news and international news spheres.
This is not the first time Palestinians have attempted to gain recognition in the UN. Although Gaza and the West Bank are highly unlikely to be granted nation status by the UN, the continued Palestinian effort is a way to draw attention to the stalled peace process. The Palestinians are trying to receive international backing in order to pressure Israel to negotiate.
Most experts agree any solution that is not agreed upon by both sides is untenable. The question of whether this will restart peace talks remains to be seen, though Israel has vowed it will do everything in its power to squash the bid for statehood. The US has also said it would veto Palestinian statehood, though it maintains its support of continued peace talks.
