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Six reasons this UN General Assembly is must-see TV

World leaders descend on New York for the annual United Nations gathering, starting Sept. 25. If the recent past is any guide, it can be a memorable, even explosive, occasion. Here are six moments to watch for, to brace for, this time.

6. Palestinian statehood redux

Seth Wenig/AP/File
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrives for a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during the 66th session of the General Assembly at United Nations headquarters on Sept. 19, 2011.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last year attempted an end run around the stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace process by using the UN gathering to submit a formal petition for statehood to the Security Council. The move went nowhere, but not before infuriating the US (see “painting into a corner” in previous item) for forcing Obama to take the UN stage to side with Israel and publicly state US opposition to something he had supported: Palestinian statehood.

This year the Palestinians are lowering their sights. They are expected to announce their intention to win UN “observer state” status through the General Assembly by the end of the year.

Observer status – it’s what the Vatican has at the UN – does not confer voting rights, but it would endow the Palestinians with enhanced legal rights, such as the ability to pursue Israel in international courts. The US and Israel oppose the “observer state” initiative, saying it would doom the peace process. But winning it requires only a majority vote from the 193-member General Assembly, which is largely pro-Palestinian. With some Palestinian leaders proclaiming that “observer state” status would recognize Palestine as a “country under occupation,” the words Mr. Abbas chooses to explain the initiative could turn out to be the assembly’s most explosive.

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Mark Sappenfield
Editor

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