Debate: Does U.N. Statehood Bid Advance or Undermine Palestinian Struggle?

Democracy Now!
With Amy Goodman
A GOOD INTERVIEW



"Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to officially submit a statehood request to the United Nations in defiance of U.S. and Israeli threats. A new joint Israeli-Palestinian poll shows the Obama administration’s stance on Palestinian recognition at the United Nations is more extreme than that of a strong majority of Israeli citizens, with 69 percent of Israelis saying their government should accept U.N. recognition of an independent Palestinian state. The survey also found 83 percent of Palestinians in the Occupied Territories support the bid. While supporters have hailed the bid as a step forward in the struggle to end the Israeli occupation and bring peace to the Middle East, critics call it a ploy by the Palestinian Authority to cling to power while undermining the rights of Palestinian refugees. We host a debate with two leading Palestinian analysts: Ali Abunimah, co-founder of the website Electronic Intifada, and author of "One Country: A Bold Proposal to End the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse"; and Mouin Rabbani of the Institute for Palestine Studies and the webzine Jadaliyya...."