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see Abkhazia, Northern Cyprus and Somaliland - all have infoboxes like this - all are disputed political entities - stop POV pushing
just declared - hasn't been established yet, as even Salam Fayyad says.
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|common_name = Palestine
|common_name = Palestine
|image_flag = Flag of Palestine.svg
|image_flag = Flag of Palestine.svg
|image_coat = Palestinian National Authority COA.svg
|image_coat =
|symbol_type = Coat of arms
|symbol_type =
|image_map = LocationPalestine.svg
|national_anthem = ''[[Palestinian National Anthem|Biladi]]'' adopted 1996 - ''[[Mawtiny]] was adopted from 1936 till 1995''
|national_anthem = ''[[Palestinian National Anthem|Biladi]]'' adopted 1996 - ''[[Mawtiny]] was adopted from 1936 till 1995''
|capital = [[Al-Quds]]</small><ref>The Palestine Basic Law, approved by the PLC in May 2002, states unambiguously "Jerusalem is the Capital of Palestine" (source: [http://www.palestinianbasiclaw.org/2002-basic-law]). [[Ramallah]] is the administrative capital and the location of government institutions as well as the foreign representative offices of [[Australia]], [[Brazil]], [[Canada]]) [[Colombia]], [[Czech Republic]], [[Denmark]], [[Finland]], [[Germany]], [[Malta]], [[the Netherlands]], [[South Africa]], and [[Switzerland]]. Jerusalem's final status awaits future negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (see [http://www.publicpolicy.umd.edu/IPPP/Fall97Report/negotiating_jerusalem.htm "Negotiating Jerusalem", University of Maryland]). The [[United Nations]] and most countries do not accept Israel's claim over the whole of Jerusalem (see {{harvnb|Kellerman|1993|p=140}}) and maintain their embassies to Israel in other cities (see the [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/is.html CIA Factbook]). </ref>
|largest_city = [[Gaza]]
|leader_title1 = [[President of Palestine|President]]
|leader_title1 = [[President of Palestine|President]]
|leader_name1 = [[Mahmoud Abbas]]
|leader_name1 = [[Mahmoud Abbas]]
|population_estimate = 4,148,000
|established_event1 = Declared
|population_estimate_rank = 124th
|population_estimate_year = 2008 (July)
|population_census =
|population_census_year =
|GDP_PPP = $11.95 billion
|GDP_PPP_rank = -
|GDP_PPP_year = 2008
|GDP_PPP_per_capita = $2,900
|GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = -
|established_event1 = Established
|established_date1 = November 15, 1988
|established_date1 = November 15, 1988
|HDI = {{decrease}} 0.731
|HDI_rank = 106th
|HDI_year = 2007
|HDI_category = <span style="color:#fc0;">medium</span>
|currency = [[Jordanian dinar]]<sup>a</sup><br/>[[Egyptian Pound]]<sup>b</sup><br/>[[Israeli new sheqel]]<sup>c</sup><br/>
|currency_code = JOD, EGP, ILS
|country_code = PLE
|country_code = PLE
|time_zone = &nbsp;
|time_zone = &nbsp;

Revision as of 16:56, 4 August 2009

This article is about the political entity proclaimed in 1988. For the historic region named "Palestine", see Palestine. For other uses of the term "Palestine", see Palestine (disambiguation).
State of Palestine
دوله فلسطين
Dawlat Filastin
Flag of Palestine
Anthem: Biladi adopted 1996 - Mawtiny was adopted from 1936 till 1995
Government
• President
Mahmoud Abbas
Establishment
• Declared
November 15, 1988
Time zoneUTC+2 ( )
• Summer (DST)
UTC+3 ( )
Calling code+970*

* Also +972 is used as well.
ISO 3166 codePS
Internet TLD.ps

The State of Palestine (Arabic: دولة فلسطين dawlat filastin), also simply Palestine, is a political entity that enjoys limited recognition as a state, but has no control over any territory. A Palestinian Declaration of Independence was made by the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on November 15 1988 in a meeting of the Palestine National Council (PNC) in Algiers.

About 100 countries have recognized the State of Palestine, which is represented as an observer member at the United Nations by the PLO under the name 'Palestine'.[1][2][3][4] The Palestinian National Authority (PNA or PA), which exercises some governmental functions in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, is designated by the Oslo Accords as an interim administrative authority and is not to be confused with the government of the State of Palestine. The current President of Palestine is Mahmoud Abbas, serving in his capacity as Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization.

1988 Declaration

The Palestinian Declaration of Independence was approved by the Palestinian National Council (PNC) in Algiers on November 15, 1988 by a vote of 253 in favour 46 against and 10 abstentions. It was read by Yasser Arafat at the closing session of the 19th PNC to a standing ovation.[5] Upon completing the reading of the declaration, Arafat, as Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization assumed the title of "President of Palestine."[6]

Referring to "the historical injustice inflicted on the Palestinian Arab people resulting in their dispersion and depriving them of their right to self-determination," the declaration invoked the Treaty of Lausanne (1923) and UN General Assembly Resolution 181 in support of its claim to a "State of Palestine on our Palestinian territory with its capital Jerusalem".[7][8] The borders of the declared State of Palestine were not specified. By calling for multilateral negotiations on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 242, which calls for Israeli withdrawal from the territories occupied in 1967, the PNC seemed to be suggesting that it would accept a state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and that it no longer questioned Israel as a state.[8]

As a result of the declaration, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) convened, inviting Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the PLO to give an address. An UNGA resolution was adopted "acknowledging the proclamation of the State of Palestine by the Palestine National Council on 15 November 1988," and it was further decided that "the designation 'Palestine' should be used in place of the designation 'Palestine Liberation Organization' in the United Nations system." One hundred and four states voted for this resolution, forty-four abstained, and two - the United States and Israel - voted against.[9]

Shortly after the declaration, the proclaimed "State of Palestine" was recognized by 89 states. The view of the European states, which did not extend full recognition was expressed by French President Francois Mitterand who stated: "Many European countries are not ready to recognize a Palestine state. Others think that between recognition and non-recognition there are significant degrees; I am among these."[9]

Impact

The declaration is generally interpreted as recognizing Israel within its pre-1967 boundaries, or was at least a major step on the path to recognition. Just as in Israel's declaration of establishment, it partly bases its claims on UN GA 181. By reference to "resolutions of Arab Summits" and "UN resolutions since 1947" (like SC 242) it implicitly and perhaps ambiguously restricted its immediate claims to the Palestinian territories and Jerusalem. It was accompanied by a political statement that explicitly mentioned SC 242 and other UN resolutions and called only for withdrawal from "Arab Jerusalem" and the other "Arab territories occupied."[10] Yasser Arafat's statements in Geneva a month later[11][12] were accepted by the United States as sufficient to remove the ambiguities it saw in the declaration and to fulfill the longheld conditions for open dialogue with the United States.[13][14]

The PLO envisages a final settlement to include all or part of the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, the Palestinian territories, living in peace with Israel under a democratically elected and sovereign government. To this end, it took part in negotiations with Israel resulting in the 1993 Declaration of Principles, which along with subsequent agreements between the two parties provided for the establishment of a Palestinian interim self-governing authority with partial control over defined areas in the Palestinian territories. This authority, known as the Palestinian Authority or Palestinian National Authority (PNA). Members of the Palestinian Authority's government have subsequently asserted that the State of Palestine is recognized by 67 countries, and has entered into bilateral relations with other countries.[2]

Government structure

By the 1988 declaration, the PNC empowered its central council to form a government-in-exile when appropriate, and called upon its executive committee to perform the duties of the government-in-exile until its establishment.[5]

An analysis outlining the relationship between the PLO, the PNA (or PA), Palestine and Israel in light of the interim arrangements set out in the Oslo Accords begins by stating that, "Palestine may best be described as a transitional association between the PA and the PLO." It goes on to explain that this transitional association accords the PA responsibility for local government and the PLO responsibility for representation of the Palestinian people in the international arena, while prohibiting it from concluding international agreements that affect the status of the occupied territories. This situation is said to be accepted by the Palestinian population insofar as it is viewed as a temporary arrangement.[15]

There are a wide variety of views regarding the status of the State of Palestine, both among the states of the international community and among legal scholars and there is no consensus as to its legal status.

Alex Takkenberg writes that while "[...] there is no doubt that the entity 'Palestine' should be considered a state in statu nascendi and although it is increasingly likely that the ongoing peace process will eventually culminate in the establishment of a Palestinian state, it is premature to conclude that statehood, as defined by international law, is at present (spring 1997) firmly established."[16] Referring to the four criteria of statehood, as outlined in the 1933 Montevideo Convention - that is, a permanent population, a defined territory, government and the capacity to enter into relations with other states - Takkenberg states that the entity known as Palestine does not fully satisfy this criteria.[16]

States that recognize the State of Palestine

See also: List of diplomatic missions of Palestine
Map showing nations which have recognized or have special diplomatic arrangements with the State of Palestine or other Palestinian delegation.

More than 100 states recognize the State of Palestine[17], and 20 more grant some form of diplomatic status to a Palestinian delegation, falling short of full diplomatic recognition.

The following are listed in alphabetical order by region.

Countries granting diplomatic status to non-State representatives

The delegations and embassies listed below on the left, are recognized as the representatives of the Palestinian people by the nations listed to their right:

Representation in international organizations

United Nations representation

Palestine is an entity with special status at the UN.[35] The Palestine National Council (PNC) sent formal notification to the U.N. Secretary-General regarding the establishment of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in May 1964. The following year in October, some Arab states requested that a PLO delegation be allowed to attend meetings of the Special Political Committee, and it was decided that they could present a statement, without implying recognition. PLO participation in the discussions of the Committee took place under the agenda item of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) from 1963 to 1973.[36]

The PLO gained observer status at the United Nations General Assembly in 1974 (General Assembly resolution 3237). Acknowledging the proclamation of the State of Palestine, the UN redesignated this observer status to 'Palestine' on 15 December 1988 in General Assembly resolution 43/177 and affirmed "the need to enable the Palestinian people to exercise their sovereignty over their territory occupied since 1967."[37] In July 1998, the General Assembly adopted a new resolution (52/250) conferring upon Palestine additional rights and privileges, including the right to participate in the general debate held at the start of each session of the General Assembly, the right of reply, the right to co-sponsor resolutions and the right to raise points of order on Palestinian and Middle East issues.[35] By this resolution, "seating for Palestine shall be arranged immediately after non-member States and before the other observers."[35] This resolution was adopted by a vote of 124 in favor, 4 against (Israel, USA, Marshall Islands, Micronesia) and 10 abstentions.[38]

Organisation of the Islamic Conference

Palestine is a member of the international Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Islamic Development Bank, an international financial institution set up for member states.[39]

Application to the WHO

The PLO, who holds observer status at the World Health Organization (WHO), applied for full membership status for the State of Palestine in 1989. The United States, which provided one-quarter of the WHO's funding at the time, informed the WHO that its funding would be withheld if Palestine was admitted as a member state. Yasser Arafat described the US statement as "blackmail". The PLO was asked to withdraw its application by the WHO director general. The WHO subsequently voted to postpone consideration of the application and no action or decision on the application was ever taken.[9] John Quigley writes that Palestine's efforts to gain membership in several international organizations connected to the United Nations was frustrated by US threats to withhold funding from any organization that admitted Palestine.[40]

Arab League

Palestine is a member of the Arab League. Represented there since 1964 by the Palestine Liberation Organization, after the 1988 declaration of statehood, its status was upgraded to full membership under the name 'Palestine' with the Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization serving as 'president of Palestine'.[41]

Other memberships

Palestine is a member state in a number of international organizations. In others, it enjoys affiliation in a lesser capacity or under another designation (such as PLO or Occupied Palestinian Territory). In the list below, if the membership is not full or not for the state of Palestine, the type and name of affiliation is denoted in parentheses.

See also

Main article: Outline of Palestine

References

  1. ^ Watson, 2000, p. 62.
  2. ^ a b Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki recently said that he and Palestinian Justice Minister Ali Kashan had provided proof that Palestine had been extended legal (de jure) recognition as a state by 67 countries, holding bilateral agreements with states in Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe. see ICC prosecutor considers ‘Gaza war crimes’ probe
  3. ^ Institute for Middle East Understanding (IMEU): 3.10 - How many countries recognize Palestine as a state?
  4. ^ Palestinian National Authority Recognition of the State of Palestine after its proclamation by the PNC meeting in Algiers in November 1988
  5. ^ a b Sayigh, 1999, p. 624.
  6. ^ Silverburg, 2002, p. 198.
  7. ^ Silverburg, 2002, p. 42.
  8. ^ a b Quigley, 2005, p. 212.
  9. ^ a b c "THE PALESTINE DECLARATION TO THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT: THE STATEHOOD ISSUE". Rutgers Law Record. May 6, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-19.
  10. ^ Political communique Palestine National Council. Algiers, November 15, 1988. Official translation.
  11. ^ Yasser Arafat, Speech at UN General Assembly Geneva, General Assembly 13 December 1988 - Le Monde Diplomatique
  12. ^ Arafat Clarifies Statement to Satisfy U.S. Conditions for Dialogue, 14 December 1988 - Jewish Virtual Library
  13. ^ Rabie, Mohamed (Summer,1992). "The U.S.-PLO Dialogue: The Swedish Connection". Journal of Palestine Studies. 21 (4): 54–66. Retrieved 2007-07-01. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ Quandt, William B. (1993). Peace Process: American Diplomacy and the Arab-Israeli conflict since 1967. Washington: Brookings Institution. pp. 367–375, 494. ISBN 0-520-08390-3.
  15. ^ Dajani in Brownlie et al., 1999, p. 121.
  16. ^ a b Takkenberg, 1998, p. 181.
  17. ^ European Journal of International Law "The Creation of the State of Palestine"
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av aw ax ay az ba bb OIC members and Palestine The Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre for Islamic Countries
    OIC members urge recognition of Hamas People's Daily
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag "Request for the Admission of the State of Palestine to UNESCO as a Member State". UNESCO. May 12, 1989. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help)
  20. ^ The DRC recognized Palestine under its former name of "Zaire".
  21. ^ http://www.palestina.int.ar/ Retrieved March 20, 2007.
  22. ^ The Associated Press (February 26, 2008). "Israeli diplomat postpones meeting after Costa Rica recognizes Palestinian state". Haaretz.
  23. ^ "English Translation of Letter from Venezuelan Foreign Ministry". Diplomacy Monitor. April 27, 2009.
  24. ^ Diplomatic and Consular Missions > Consulate General of the State of Palestine. Government of the Philippines. Retrieved March 20, 2007.
  25. ^ "Embassy Listings for Uzbekistan". Embassy World. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
  26. ^ Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Government of Vietnam. Retrieved March 20, 2007.
  27. ^ "Embassy of the State of Palestine". Kompass. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
  28. ^ "Palestine: Embassy of the State of Palestine". Ministry of Foriegn Affairs of the Czech Republic.
  29. ^ Cypriot Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Government of Cyprus. Retrieved March 20, 2007.
  30. ^ http://www.mip.vlada.cg.yu/index.php?akcija=vijesti&id=15103 Retrieved March 20, 2007.
  31. ^ "Embassy of the State of Palestine". Retrieved 2009-07-18.
  32. ^ Ukranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved March 20, 2007.
  33. ^ http://www.mfa.gr/el-GR/The+Ministry/Structure/Foreign+Authorities+in+Greece/Embasies/
  34. ^ http://www.palestina.com.mx/
  35. ^ a b c Osmańczyk and Mango, 2003, p. 1741.
  36. ^ "Status of Palestine at the United Nations". Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations - New York. Retrieved 2009-07-28.
  37. ^ Hillier, 1998, p. 214.
  38. ^ Silverburg, 2002, p. 292.
  39. ^ Taylor & Francis group and Lucy Dean, 2003, p. 1328.
  40. ^ Quigley, 1990, p. 231.
  41. ^ Takkenberg, 1998, pp. 136-138.

Bibliography

  • Brownlie, Ian; Goodwin-Gill, Guy S.; Talmon, Stefan; Jennings, Robert (1999), The reality of international law: essays in honour of Ian Brownlie (Illustrated, reprint ed.), Oxford University Press, ISBN 0198268378, 9780198268376 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  • Hillier, Tim, [1998 Sourcebook on public international law] (Illustrated ed.), Routledge, ISBN 1859410502, 9781859410509 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help); Check |url= value (help)
  • Osmańczyk, Edmund Jan; Mango, Anthony (2003), Encyclopedia of the United Nations and international agreements (3rd ed.), Taylor & Francis, ISBN 0415939216, 9780415939218 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  • Taylor & Francis Group; Dean, Lucy (2003), The Middle East and North Africa 2004: 2004 (Illustrated ed.), Routledge, ISBN 1857431847, 9781857431841 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  • Quigley, John B. (2005), The case for Palestine: an international law perspective (2nd, revised ed.), Duke University Press, ISBN 0822335395, 9780822335399 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  • Sayigh, Yezid (1999), Armed Struggle and the Search for State: The Palestinian National Movement, 1949-1993 (Illustrated ed.), Oxford University Press, ISBN 0198296436, 9780198296430 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  • Silverburg, Sanford R. (2002), Palestine and International Law: Essays on Politics and Economics, Jefferson, N.C: McFarland & Co, ISBN 0-7864-1191-0
  • Takkenberg, Alex (1998), The status of Palestinian refugees in international law (Illustrated ed.), Oxford University Press, ISBN 0198265905, 9780198265900 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
  • Watson, Geoffrey R. (2000), The Oslo Accords: international law and the Israeli-Palestinian peace agreements (Illustrated ed.), Oxford University Press, ISBN 0198298919, 9780198298915 {{citation}}: Check |isbn= value: invalid character (help)
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