Arabs say Palestinian statehood bid long overdue

By Edmund Blair and Dina Zayed | Reuters 9 hrs ago

CAIRO (Reuters) - he !alestinian "resident#s $all %or statehood at the &nited 'ations (as a ste" many Ara)s %eel (as long o*erdue )ut they e+"e$t the dramati$ gesture to $hange little )e$ause o% a looming &,-, *eto, . his is the %irst time %or us to see this /ind o% )ra*ery (hi$h (e are not used to seeing %rom 0ahmoud A))as1. said 2ani 0ohsen1 an a$ti*ist in Egy"t1 (here (inds o% $hange s(e"t &,-,-ally 2osni 0u)ara/ %rom "o(er and hel"ed gal*ani3e other Ara)s to demand a sha/eu" o% the region#s "oliti$al order, But in the !alestinian-Israeli $on%li$t1 Ara)s said the old "oliti$al rules still a""lied, E*en )e%ore A))as said no one (ith .a shred o% $ons$ien$e. $ould re4e$t the demand %or a state1 !resident Bara$/ O)ama told the !alestinian "resident that 5ashington (ould )lo$/ any !alestinian )id %or re$ognition at the &,', -e$urity Coun$il, .(O)ama) has an ele$tion $oming u" and )eing $lose to Israel and the 6e(ish lo))y is *ery im"ortant %or any *i$tory, 5e all /no( that, 7es1 he turned his )a$/ on the !alestinian $ause )e$ause he (ants to )e re-ele$ted1. said 89-year-old 0ohsen, In :i)ya1 another Ara) state (here a long-time ruler1 0uammar ;adda%i1 (as ousted1 the sentiments (ere similar, . han/ ;od< It should ha*e ha""ened a long time ago, hey#*e su%%ered enough1 in their o(n land1 %rom Israel1 and else(here as re%ugees ,,, 2o"e%ully this (ill %or$e the (orld to gi*e them their rights1. said A)delmali/1 an engineering graduate selling -shirts in ri"oli, But =athi 2assan1 a mini)us dri*er rounding u" "assengers in the :i)yan $a"ital1 said on =riday> .;od (illing it (ill hel", But I#m not really o"timisti$, heir real "ro)lem is Ameri$a,. 0any Ara)s1 angry at the Ira? (ar laun$hed )y !resident ;eorge 5, Bush1 had ho"ed O)ama (ould ma/e a di%%eren$e, hey (ere en$ouraged (hen1 (ithin si+ months o% ta/ing o%%i$e1 O)ama *o(ed to su""ort a !alestinian state in a s"ee$h in Cairo, I' ER'A IO'A: O!I'IO' =or many Ara)s1 those early e+"e$tations (ere dashed as "ea$e initiati*es %aded, he &,-, res"onse to the !alestinian initiati*e at the &nited 'ations has dee"ened the %rustration, .O)ama (as *ery "o"ular in 8@@9 here and the entire region ,, )ut a""arently O)ama has not sho(n the strength or the "oliti$al a)ility to get things done1. said A)del Raou% el-Reedy1 %ormer Egy"tian am)assador to 5ashington and mem)er o% the delegation that negotiated Egy"t#s "ea$e (ith Israel, But he (el$omed A))as#s a""eal, .2e ga*e a good s"ee$h and also he made a good mo*e ,,, gi*en the %a$t that the "ea$e negotiations are stu$/, here is a need %or some /ind o% a dramati$ ste"1. the %ormer en*oy said, A))as# s"ee$h might not deli*er a state s(i%tly )ut it $ould (in more su""ort (orld(ide1 said Rayman Aryani1 a 7emeni "oliti$al s$ien$e student at 2ar*ard &ni*ersity, . his may not do mu$h at the negotiating ta)le (ith the &nited -tates )ut it (ill do (onders (ith international "u)li$ o"inion, It (ill %urther alienate Israel1. he said, A))as urged the 6e(ish state in his s"ee$h to .$ome to "ea$e,. But some Ara)s said tal/s (ould not (or/ and should not e*en start, .5e (ill not ha*e dialogue (ith Israel, hey are the ultimate enemy ,,, 5e )elie*e in the (&,', re?uest) o"tion1. said 0ohammed ;aa%ar1 a 8A-year-old ele$troni$s salesman in the :e)anese $a"ital Beirut, Others said )lo$/ing a !alestinian )id %or statehood (ould only generate dee"er regional anger against the &nited -tates and more isolation %or Israel, . he )iggest losers o% this (ill )e the Ameri$ans and the Israelis1 "arti$ularly i% the Ameri$ans use the *eto, I e+"e$t that i% they do1 there (ill )e a (a*e o% angry demonstrations and "ossi)le atta$/s on &,-, %a$ilities and interests in the region1. Emad ;ad1 (ho heads the Israel studies "rogram at the Al-Ahram Center %or !oliti$al and -trategi$ -tudies, -ome Ara)s said A))as made his )id %or statehood )e$ause o% "ressure %rom his o(n "eo"le and a region restless %or $hange, .=or a)out three years1 !alestinians ha*e )een tal/ing a)out this issue1 o% going to the &nited 'ations, But I )elie*e that the Ara) -"ring has gi*en a "o(er%ul "ush to the !alestinians to do so1. said 7ahya al-Bu)aisy1 a resear$her at the Ira?i Center =or -trategi$ -tudies, he 0iddle East#s "oliti$al ma" has )een redra(n, hree Ara) rulers1 (ho (ere in "o(er %or de$ades1 ha*e )een to""led, Others are struggling to ?uell "rotests against their rule, But many Ara)s said this (as not enough to hel" the !alestinians1 (ho they said still %a$ed a long (ait,

.!eo"le in the ;ul% are still ho"ing that one day !alestine )e$omes a state, It#s all a)out ho"ing, 0ay)e in many1 many years (e (ill see a !alestinian state1. said 7asir al-Ali1 (ho (or/s %or an oil $om"any in A)u Dha)i1 the $a"ital o% the &nited Ara) Emirates, (Additional re"orting 6ose"h :ogan in ri"oli1 Oli*er 2olmes in Beirut and 0artina =u$hs in the &nited Ara) EmiratesC 5riting )y Edmund BlairC Editing )y Ro)ert 5ood(ard)