# Quick question about Palestinian statehood... **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 22, 2011, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-about-palestinian-statehood/597167 "2011-09-22T05:42:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Darth\_Ayebaw](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darth_ayebaw/32/9870_2.png) [@Darth\_Ayebaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Ayebaw)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-about-palestinian-statehood/597167/1 "2011-09-22T05:42:14Z")
I really don’t want this to become an Israel/Palestine topic, although mention either one and it seems inevitable. Anyways my question is this: why is Palestine taking the request to the UN security council? They know the US will veto, and that’s bad publicity for America and all. But I read in a BBC article they could just take it to the general assembly and would only need 129? countries to vote in favor in order to be officially recognized by the UN, and they are already recognized by 126? countries. If they want an official status, wouldn’t that be easier? I’m guessing it’s all political, but maybe I’m missing something. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-about-palestinian-statehood/597167/2 "2011-09-22T05:44:21Z")
They only get enhanced observer status going through the General Assembly, like the Vatican. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2011, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-about-palestinian-statehood/597167/3 "2011-09-22T12:30:27Z")
It isn’t just political grandstanding, they are pushing for full legitimacy and by doing so are going to put a hell of a lot of pressure back on the US. It is a way to get their supporters to bring the issue front and center and place the US in a hard position; good for them. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-about-palestinian-statehood/597167/4 "2011-09-23T05:27:20Z")
If the US has been the Soviet Union or Maoist China in their streotypical mode the entire State Department would have been shot by now for incompetance. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-about-palestinian-statehood/597167/5 "2011-09-23T07:39:13Z")
I don’t know. I don’t really see how the State Department could have stopped the Palestinians from applying. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-about-palestinian-statehood/597167/6 "2011-09-23T08:35:48Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > I don’t know. I don’t really see how the State Department could have stopped the Palestinians from applying. The State Department and the United States Government generally should not have let the situation get to this point where it is going to be such a diplomatic debacle. ---
**Author:** ![wmfellows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@wmfellows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wmfellows)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-about-palestinian-statehood/597167/7 "2011-09-23T10:12:23Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > The State Department and the United States Government generally should not have let the situation get to this point where it is going to be such a diplomatic debacle. By what particular means would they have prevented it, pray tell? ---
**Author:** ![AndyLee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@AndyLee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndyLee)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-about-palestinian-statehood/597167/8 "2011-09-23T18:40:14Z")
The interesting thing is the Palestinians are in an odd place. They are quite a few places like, Kosovo, Somaliland, Transnistria, Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia, Taiwan, Northern Cyprus and South Ossetia which actually control their territory but have very limited or no recognition. But Palestine doesn’t even really control their territory claimed. Outside of forcinig the issue, it could lead to these other places which actually control their territory asserting their de jure independence. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-about-palestinian-statehood/597167/9 "2011-09-24T07:19:38Z")
> [@wmfellows](#): > > By what particular means would they have prevented it, pray tell? I suspect AK is working backwards from his desired answer, _it’s Obama’s fault_, and feeling around for rationales to feed it. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-about-palestinian-statehood/597167/10 "2011-09-24T08:08:40Z")
Look when you are in the kind of situation that the US find itself in over this issue, it is clear that your diplomacy has failed. One of the purpose of diplomacy is to avoid no win situtations like this one. The US could have avoided it; say by first creating and employing leverage. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-about-palestinian-statehood/597167/11 "2011-09-24T11:50:22Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > If the US has been the Soviet Union or Maoist China in their streotypical mode the entire State Department would have been shot by now for incompetance. In the Soviet Union or Maoist China in their stereotypical mode a scientist could would have been shot for not being able to turn lead into gold. What is your point, again? ---
**Author:** ![wmfellows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c2a13f/32.png) [@wmfellows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wmfellows)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2011, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/quick-question-about-palestinian-statehood/597167/12 "2011-09-24T11:54:12Z")
And pray tell concretely what leverage that was not used do you posit existed? In real world concrete terms, not magical abstraction. Really, would like to know. Else, it is rather engaging in empy blowhardism.