I recognize the State of Palestine

September 23rd, 2011, is the day that Palestine will submit a bid to the United Nations (UN) to become a member State.

The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), the organization which represents the people of Palestine, will bring the bid to the Security Council in hopes of being admitted as a member state, not just an observer.

Already 126 nations have thrown their support behind Palestine in their attempt to gain the right of self determination – a fundamental human right according to the UN – and the PLO is expecting that number to rise.

As the international community braces itself for a diplomatic firestorm come the 23rd, we should remind ourselves again why this bid is so important in the struggle for human rights and social justice.

Ever since Oslo, in 1993, the Palestinians, Israelis and Americans have been involved in a complicated diplomatic dance in which the issue of Palestinian self determination has been repeatedly curtailed, ignored and rejected.

The continuation of the so-called peace process, as it has been known under the Clinton, Bush and Obama administrations, has been nothing more than a barely concealed attempt to consolidate Israeli control over historic Palestine.

Take, for example, the illegal settlement of the West Bank. As recently as July 2011 Israel was continuing to build illegal settlements in Palestine.

Already over 300,000 Israeli citizens live in these communities, effectively annexing the land around them, thus putting Israel in control of over 60% of the West Bank. Whereas the Palestinian government, such as it is, has control of local districts partitioned by Israeli road blocks.

As long as the settlements are being deployed and not dismantled – in clear violation of international law – the message is clear: if Palestinians want justice, they must look beyond Tel Aviv and Washington.

Further frustrating the alleged peace process which Israel and America claim to be adhering to is the barrier being built within the West Bank.

This barrier, a 30 foot tall concrete wall with sniper towers in some places and a massive razor wire and electric fence conglomeration in others, is currently being built within the West Bank itself.

To contextualize this, imagine that the USA, in an attempt to curb illegal immigration from Mexico, built a wall within Mexico itself. Of course Israel would have every right to build a wall on their own territory, but this wall often forays into the West Bank, in places as far as 10 miles.

The wall, known commonly as the Apartheid Wall, is also illegal under international law. So long as Israel, backed by America, continues to annex massive chunks of Palestine with illegal settlements and walls,

Palestine must take matters into its own hands. The peace process is an attempt to establish an unjust peace according to the terms of the occupier: Israel. While it is true that there is peace in prison, that does not make prison more desirable.

For these reasons, among others listed elsewhere, Palestinians must appeal to an authority beyond the United States and Israel.

Admission to the UN would give Palestine access to the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and other such institutions which would bolster both their status in the international arena, and improve their ability to deal diplomatically with Israel.

The bid for statehood already includes massive concessions to Israel. The State of Palestine will only exist on 22% of historic Palestine and will have as its capitol East Jerusalem.

In fact, this move with not only clarify the borders of Israel, but would allow West Jerusalem to be officially recognized as the capitol; currently Tel Aviv is the internationally recognized capitol of Israel.

The current situation is untenable as it at once undermines the future of Palestinian self determination and is illegal according to international laws.

Palestine has no choice but to appeal to the international community, which has largely approved of the measure (over 75 percent of the world has already recognized the State of Palestine) and Israel has much to gain by such a move.

Palestine's bid to become the 194th member of the UN, a bid unanimously agreed upon by all members of the PLO, is a crucial step forward in ensuring a just resolution to the conflict.

Other issues will remain, for instance the right of return for refugees of the 1948 and 1967 wars and those displaced by Israeli settlement activity, but these issues will not be undermined by the admission of the State of Palestine to the UN.

The right of return, and other basic human rights, will not be eclipsed by the right to self determination; rather, access to the ICC and ICJ will provide greater leverage with which to push for further gains in the name of human rights and social justice.

Of course, as stated above, America has promised to use its veto in the Security Council to ensure that Palestine does not become a member state in the United Nations. This means that the PLO will have to take the bid to the General Assembly, where there is overwhelming support, in order to become a "non-member state."

The move would still give Palestine access to the institutions of the UN, however Palestine, like Vatican City, would not have voting rights within the body.

This would be progress and would give Palestine greater power to deal with Israel and America as an equal as they continue to discuss the establishment of a just peace in the region.