The Palestinian Authority is trying to pull a fast one on the Vatican by sponsoring a motion in the United Nations to allow the flags of two non-member states, itself and the Vatican, to wave at the headquarters in New York.
The Vatican is anxious for its flag to be flown in honor of Pope Francis’ visit that is scheduled for next month. Although it is one of the leaders of the fan club to see the Palestinian Authority become another Arab state, it is less than thrilled at Mahmoud Abbas’ latest trick.
It asked the PA’s mission at the United Nations to drop the idea of linking the Palestinian Authority with the Vatican on the draft resolution for allowing the flags to be raised.
The Palestinian Authority resolution refers to flags of non-member observer states, specifically the Palestinian Authority and the Vatican, and states:
[They] shall be raised at the United Nations Headquarters and Offices following the flags of the member states of the United Nations.
Reuters reported that the Vatican mission at the United Nations circulated a note to some member countries stating:
The Holy See asks the Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations kindly to remove in its draft resolution any reference to the ‘Holy See’ and any generic reference ‘on behalf of the Observer States.’
If the Palestinian Authority backs down, it still could table a separate resolution that its flag fly at the United Nation, since allowing the Vatican flag to be raised would set a precedent.
The Palestinian Authority has been building symbols for statehood for years. In the Intifada in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Israeli soldiers spent much of their time chasing after Arabs who tried to raise the Palestinian Authority flag on roads.
Eventually, the IDF lost the battle, and even Hamas flags and a few ISIS flags fly everywhere today, not only in Judea and Samaria but even in some Arab cities in Israel and sometimes on the Temple Mount.
If the Palestinian Authority flag ends up flying at the United Nations, don’t get too excited.
Every time the Palestinian Authority wins another symbol for statehood, it puffs its chest even more, but in reality, Abbas has done everything to defer statehood by increasing his demands beyond the limits all but the most far-left radicals in Israel would accept.