Palestinian Statehood Bid Draws Thousands to West Bank Rally

RAMALLAH, West Bank Sept. 21, 2011 -- Thousands of Palestinians gathered in cities in the occupied West Bank today in a show of support for the Palestinian statehood bid at the United Nations.

The demonstrations coincided with the opening of the United Nations General Assembly in New York where the Palestinian bid is topping the agenda.

In the West Bank city of Ramallah, around 2,000 people rallied in a central square as they listened to speakers on a stage. Civil servants and students were given the day off, and many of the students wore their uniforms and waved flags while others sported traditional Palestinians scarves.

The mood was festive and upbeat as the bid is a popular challenge to the world after what Palestinians say are years of failed talks with Israel moderated by a prejudiced United States.

"What we're saying is that with a belligerent opponent like Israel and a dishonest broker like the United States, we're not going anywhere," said Palestinian-American lawyer and activist Huwaida Arraf who was watching the rally. "This is not leading to peace so we want to go to the international community and ask for international law to be applied to our plight."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has vowed to apply for full membership at the U.N. on Friday, a mission Obama administration officials have been trying to quash for months and now admit there's little hope of stopping. The U.S. has promised to veto the request in the Security Council, a prospect they are trying to avoid so as not to deny a people self-determination and further anger the Arab world that sees American support for Israel as heavily biased against Arabs.

Palestinians Show Support for Controversial Statehood Bid

If the Palestinian bid for full U.N. membership fails, they will likely go to the General Assembly for an upgrade in status from "observer entity" to "observer state." This would allow Palestine to join international bodies and go after Israel in international courts, a threat Palestinian officials have repeatedly made.

American and European diplomats are working desperately behind the scenes, floating various formulas to contain the fallout and bring both sides back to the negotiating table while allowing Palestinian and Israeli leaders to save face with their respective peoples.

Palestinians are largely realistic about the fact that no matter what happens at the U.N., little will change on the ground. Many worry that living conditions will actually get worse, with Israel clamping down further as punishment. But after almost two decades of failed negotiations, many Palestinians say they need to try something new.

"I think it reflects the re-gaining of hope, Palestinians need hope," said politician Mustafa Barghouthi. "Palestinians were depressed and frustrated with 20 years of negotiations that were leading to nothing but expansion of [Israeli] settlements."

"It's a new chapter in the Palestinian-Israeli struggle," he said. "We will not have negotiations that come through and reach real peace unless we change the balance of power."

Palestinians are asking for recognition based on borders before the 1967 six-day war when Israel was attacked by the surrounding Arab countries. That territory includes Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem as the capital.

Palestinians Show Support for U.N. Statehood Bid

There are almost 500,000 Israeli settlers in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, much of which is controlled by the Israeli military. Palestinians have made a freeze on expansion and construction of Israeli settlements -- considered illegal by the international community -- a condition for negotiations. Israel says there can't be pre-conditions and that a 10 month freeze on settlements last year yielded no results.

The fear of violence has hovered above all the talk leading up to the open of General Assembly. Israel has beefed up its forces in the West Bank and reportedly spent more than $20 million on non-lethal riot control equipment.

There were scattered clashes reported today between hundreds of Palestinians and Israeli soldiers, Palestinians throwing stones followed by volleys of Israeli tear gas. At the Ramallah demonstration, three young men lit an American flag on fire, simultaneously cheered by some and criticized by others.

In what promises to be a showdown between the two sides, Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are scheduled to address the General Assembly on Friday, the same day the Palestinians will submit their application. Netanyahu said on Sunday week that his goal is to stop the Palestinian bid and present "the general truth, which is our desire for peace."

Few here on either side see prospects for that peace improving after the events this week. But there's little denying that this is a change of tack in this intractable issue.

"I hope the world will understand that us going to the U.N. is nothing but an outcry to the international community," said the politician Barghouti.