27 Mar 2012

UN / ASHRAWI

PLO executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi Tuesday told the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People that the two-state solution is being systematically and deliberately destroyed by Israeli policies and measures and that without an intervention to end Israel’s practices by the end of the year, the prospects for peace will also be destroyed. She stressed that to be an even-handed peace broker, the United States needed to rethink its policies and said reality could not be put on hold for American elections. UNTV / FILE

Posted at: March 27, 2012 7:09 pm

Duration: 02:48

Available in: SD

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STORY: UN / ASHRAWI
TRT: 2.48
SOURCE: UNTV / UNICEF / UNRWA
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 27 MARCH 2012, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations headquarters

27 MARCH 2012, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, conference room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Hanan Ashrawi, Executive Committee Member, Palestine Liberation Organization:  
"The two-state solution is being systematically and deliberately destroyed, and we believe that by the end of this year if there is no engagement or intervention to put an end to Israeli  policies and measures that are destroying the prospects of the two-state solution then the prospects of peace will also be destroyed. And the implications of such a situation are drastic, not just for Palestine/Israel, but for the region and possibly for the whole world."

FILE – UNTV  23 SEPTEMBER 2011

4.  Zoom out, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon photo-op 
5. Pan right, delegates in GA hall 
6. Med shot, President Abbas delivering address to the GA, soundup (Arabic): 
"When we bring our plight and our case to this international podium, it is a confirmation of our reliance on the political and diplomatic option and is a confirmation that we do not undertake unilateral steps."

27 MARCH 2012, NEW YORK CITY

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Hanan Ashrawi, Executive Committee Member, Palestine Liberation Organization:  
"Instead of recognizing the magnitude of such a move, we were faced with tremendous opposition from the U.S. and some of its allies, as though we were the ones violating the law by going to the home of international legality and the home of universal legislation. By going to the home of multilateralism, we were told we were acting unilaterally."

FILE - UNRWA - 8 SEPTEMBER 2011, UM AL KHAYR, WEST BANK, OPT

8. Wide shot, various household goods left after demolition
9. Zoom out boy walking among the demolished shelter
10. Wide shot, demolished structures

27 MARCH 2012, NEW YORK CITY

11. SOUNDBITE (English) Hanan Ashrawi, Executive Committee Member, Palestine Liberation Organization:  
"It seems to me that instead of isolating itself on the wrong side of the law along Israel, the U.S. is called upon to try to reshape its policies in order to fit within the international community and international law and to be able to play the role of an even-handed peace broker. And therefore needs to rethink its policies. We do not have the time, dear friends, to wait for American elections to end. Because reality cannot be put on hold."

FILE - UNRWA - 8 SEPTEMBER 2011, UM AL KHAYR, WEST BANK, OPT

12. Various shots, Bedouin chief walks among demolished tents next to Karmel settlement houses

27 MARCH 2012, NEW YORK CITY

13. SOUNDBITE (English) Hanan Ashrawi, Executive Committee Member, Palestine Liberation Organization:  
"We haven't given up and we do have a plan and we will continue. There is a decision. It was a matter of timing only and assessment of conditions."

FILE – UNICEF – 4 APRIL 2011, OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

14. Wide shot, town

FILE – UNRWA - 30 MAY 2011, GAZA, OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
 
15. Wide shot, Gaza street from a UN vehicle

FILE – UNRWA – SEPTEMBER 2010, GAZA, OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

16. Various shots, unfinished construction projects

STORYLINE: 
PLO executive committee member Hanan Ashrawi Tuesday told the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People that the two-state solution is being systematically and deliberately destroyed by Israeli policies and measures and that without an intervention to end Israel's practices by the end of the year, the prospects for peace will also be destroyed.

"The implications of such a situation are drastic, not just for Palestine/Israel, but for the region and possibly for the whole world," she said.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas submitted a membership application for Palestine to the United Nations (UN) on 23 September last year citing the stalled negotiations with Israel as the reason to go directly to the international community to seek statehood.

But Ashrawi said that instead of recognizing the "magnitude" of such a move, the Palestinian Authority faced "tremendous opposition from the U.S. and some of its allies, as though we were the ones violating the law."

She said that by taking the question of statehood to the UN, "the home of multilateralism, we were told we were acting unilaterally."

Although the Palestinian Authority's application for statehood for Palestine was considered by the Security Council's committee on membership, it never came to a vote in the full Council after the United States announced it would use a veto to block the bid.

Instead of isolating itself on the "wrong side of the law" alongside Israel, Hanan said the U.S. must try to reshape its policies in order to fit within the international community, as well as international law, to be able to play the role of an "even-handed peace broker."

Underlining the urgency for the U.S. to rethink its policies, she said, "We do not have the time, dear friends, to wait for American elections to end. Because reality cannot be put on hold."

Addressing concerns that the Palestinian leadership had not followed the Council's failure to act on its membership request by taking the request to the General Assembly, Hanan said any delay was "a matter timing only and assessment of conditions," and a decision had been made.

"We haven't given up and we do have a plan and we will continue," she stressed.