By Sharon Gordon
News that the General Assembly at the United Nations voted resoundingly in recognition of Palestine as a non member observer state on Thursday, November 29 was quite symbolic.
It was exactly 65 years ago that the very body voted on the 1947 partition plan. Celebrations around the globe for the Palestinians especially in Ramallah in the West Bank had many seeing this as a step forward.
News of IsrealÕs Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denouncing Mr. Abbas’ speech at the UN as a”litany of libellous charges against Israel” was no surprise. One perspective is that of Prof.
Joseph Olmert who calls it ‘A major success for Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority (PA), an embarrassment to PM Netanyahu and Israel, a potential problem to Hamas and altogether an event whose actual, continuing impact is yet to unfold.’
On the other hand, Netanyahu’s spokesperson, Mr. Regev told the BBC that, “This is negative political theatre that takes us out of a negotiating process. It’s going to hurt peace.” A sentiment echoed by the Obama Administration.
Then there is Joseph Mossad, writing in the Guardian that, “The UN vote to recognize Palestine legitimizes a racist status quo.” He further states that, “There’s a bitter irony in the UN’s recognition of a much diminished Palestinian state on the anniversary of its 1947 partition plan” when the Palestinian state was much greater than it is today.
Nonetheless, the Palestinians can now take part in UN debates and potentially join bodies like the International Criminal Court. During his presentation, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said it was the “last chance to save the two-state solution” with Israel.
SLOW RECOVERY
Many New Yorkers are still feeling the impact of super storm Sandy one month since the Hurricane devastated areas of the North East.
In speaking with residents of Breezy Point, Coney Island, Staten Island and the Rockaway’s, the complaint of not being able to return to their homes, many of which have been labeled as uninhabitable due to mildew and mold, is a major point of contention between residents and FEMA authorities.
The Federal Emergency Manage-ment Agency (FEMA) has been overwhelmed with the number of submissions they have received. Recovery is slow and steady and in areas like lower Manhattan, where generators have become ubiquitous along the streets with cables snaking in and around buildings to provide power.
Companies like JP Morgan Chase and the New York Daily News have been forced to operate from satellite offices as their head quarters are still inoperable.
Good news The good news is the various community groups, local churches and schools who have been working assiduously in getting well needed assistance and donated goods, to those most in need, in the affected areas.
kudos Congratulations to Patrick Maitland, the Jamaican-born publisher of Street Hype Newspaper, and Trinidadian born, Colette Cyrus-Brunette, CEO of NY Super Wings on their recognition by the Society for the Advancement of The Caribbean Diaspora (SACD) on Saturday, November 17 at the Brooklyn Campus of the Long Island University at their 4th annual Awards Dinner and Gala under the theme “Celebrating Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago 50th Independence and Progress”.
SACD is a non profit organization with a mission to engage the communities of the Caribbean Diaspora through exploration of common interests and concerns by utilizing collective resources to ensure the welfare and advancement of the Caribbean Diaspora.
Reprinted courtesy of the Jamaican Gleaner Company
