To Be or Not To Be

As mentioned in class, the Palestinian Authority looks set to apply to both the U.N. Security Council for membership in the U.N., and to the General Assembly for observer status. Both are aimed at gaining recognition of Palestine as a state  under international law. News reports on its bid, and the opposition by the U.S. government are can be found here, here, and here. There is much more on the web if you are interested. Here is also a Crisis Group report on the issue.

Consider the application in the context of your readings for next week on the nature of states as subjects of international law, and the criteria for determining whether an entity is or is not a state.