The President of the Palestinian authority, Mahmud Abbas, is expected to submit an official bid for statehood to the UN security council on Friday. The Palestinians believe they can win the nine votes needed for their membership bid to pass the Security Council. But the United States is expected to veto the request, effectively sinking it. If Washington does veto the bid, the Palestinians could turn to the General Assembly, where they believe they will easily secure the votes needed to upgrade their representation to a non-state observer level. Angad Shawa, Director of the Palestine NGO Network in Gaza City, is particulary concerned about the process.
