RAMALLAH, September 11, 2011 (WAFA) – PLO Executive Committee Member, Saeb Erekat, Sunday stressed that the Palestinian bid to United Nations is to gain full UN membership of the state of Palestine within 1967 borders and not to announce independence or gain recognition.

Erekat, during a political seminar in Ramallah, clarified that the Palestinian state announced independency in 1988 in Algeria and that international recognition of the state is an individual choice of sovereignty for each country.

Abbas will deliver the Palestinian request to UN Secretary-General and the head of the Security Council, said Erekat. He stressed that the bid doesn’t aim to legitimize or isolate anyone other than occupation.

“Who believes in the importance of peace and the two-state principle must support the Palestinian UN bid, not delay it,” added Erekat.

He considered the Palestinian bid to UN as part of the Palestinian national strategy that is based on recovering the Palestinian land occupied in 1967 and stopping the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from maintaining the current situation as it is.

He warned from the Israeli military the 1650 order, which subject any person in the West Bank to arrest or deportation by the Israeli Defense Forces without judicial review under the definition of ‘infiltrator’, which aims to empower the occupation authority on the Palestinian Territory without holding Israel responsible.

“If we were recognized as a state member in UN, we don’t think that settlements or Israeli crimes and provocations will disappear immediately, but the difference will be that Palestine is an occupied country by another state member; final negotiations will be on the time-schedule for withdrawing, Palestinians will control their self-determination, and solutions for issues like prisoners and refugees will be more efficient,” said Erekat.

In a related matter, Adnan al-Damiri, spokesman for Palestinian security, stressed the Palestinian law agencies’ readiness to efficiently fulfill their roles when the state is established, which is what Erekat described as the first step towards achieving one authority within the framework of political multiplicity.

“Israel is trying to draw us to violence in an attempt to end its diplomatic and political crisis within our non-violence request for statehood,” said Damiri.

R.Q./F.R.