Palestinians could raise flag at UN before pope visit
August 26, 2015 23:42
In a move likely to upset Israel's government, the Palestinians are seeking to raise their flag, along with the Vatican flag, at UN headquarters --
just in time for Pope Francis' visit next month.
Supporters of the idea hope the UN General Assembly will adopt a resolution on the flag-raising shortly before the pope arrives.
They're betting that the United States or other allies of Israel will not block the plan and risk offending the Holy See on Francis' first US visit.
The Palestinians' proposal has been tabled, and a draft of the resolution has been seen by The Associated Press. It would allow non-member observer states -- there are only two -- to display their flags with the 193 member states.
While the Vatican's mission to the UN earlier expressed support for the idea, it circulated a letter this week distancing itself from the draft, asking the Palestinian mission to "kindly to remove in its draft resolution any
reference to the 'Holy See' and any generic reference 'on behalf of the Observer States.'"
The Holy See's mission did not comment today.
The United States and Israel oppose recognizing the Palestinian state, arguing that it undermines efforts to negotiate a peace agreement.
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