In the same week that South Sudan declared its independence, the Arab League, having lost one-third of an oil-rich nation, decided the time was right to embrace the project of Palestinian statehood. In a statement drafted from Doha, Qatar, the league declared its intention to upgrade the Palestinians to full member status at the United Nations, where the flag of South Sudan now waves among the banners of the world. Ever since the eruption of the Arab Spring, Arab leaders have been desperate to find a cause that reinstates their legitimacy among their citizenry. Nabil el-Araby, the Arab League's new secretary-general, can tell which way the wind is blowing. El-Araby, after all, served as Egypt's first foreign minister following Hosni Mubarak's departure. The only unifying causes of today's Arab world are the dreaded freedom and democracy, so its leaders, in a bid to maintain power, believe they must once again hoist the Palestinian banner. In the past few months we've had revolutions in Africa, a tsunami in Japan and a volcano in Chile. We've had one glittering royal wedding in London and another in Monaco. Let us not forget, however, that we've also had the continued WikiLeaks revelations, which showed us just how little the Arab countries truly care for the Palestinians. The Arab League has clout, though. Its 22 member states may have a grand history of disagreements and sterile final declarations, but when the league gave the nod for war in Libya, a war is indeed what followed. And when the league refused to take action against Syrian President Bashar Assad's slaughter of his own citizens, the West, in turn, adopted the silence it is still sticking with today. This week, after another failed round of talks in Washington, the Middle East Quartet refrained from releasing a concluding statement. When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington in May, however, the Americans said they would veto any unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood. From Qatar, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat admitted that a U.S. veto means the Palestinian bid will have no chance. The best option, he believes, is for the Palestinians to upgrade their status from observer to a state. In Qatar on Thursday, the Arab League counted 117 countries planning to recognize a Palestinian state in the U.N. General Assembly. There is now no doubt that the Palestinians can count on a majority. Israel, however, has two consolation prizes to look forward to: Washington will veto the declaration, and South Sudan, the world's newest nation, will oppose the Palestinian declaration.
