The Arab Spring this year has been such a breath of fresh air that you would be forgiven for having turned away your attention from the infinitely more frustrating and exhausting Middle East peace process.

We must urge the EU to come up with a common position supporting the Palestinian bid for UN membership- Simon Busuttil

Now it is time to look that way again as the issue of Palestinian statehood comes back to the fore with a request for membership of the United Nations being submitted this week in New York.

The initiative had long been announced and should take no one by surprise.

Where should we stand?

My view is that Malta should unequivocally support the Palestinian people in their bid for statehood and we should vote in favour when it is time for us to stand up to be counted.

Let me give you some reasons why.

First of all because the demands of the Palestinians for a state of their own are right, pure and simple. By supporting their bid we show that we have the courage to stand up for what is right. Just like we did with Libya this year.

Secondly, because although it would have been ideal for the two parties concerned to establish a Palestinian state in a negotiated manner, the recognition of a Palestinian statehood at the UN does not prevent negotiations from proceeding.

Negotiations have, in any case, been stalled for an unreasonably long time, largely because Israel ignored pleas from all over the world and continued building illegal settlements on Palestinian land. This dented Israel’s credibility and its goodwill to find a negotiated solution.

Supporting Palestine’s bid does not kill negotiations. If anything, Palestine would be in a fairer position to negotiate, especially on the status of Jerusalem and the fate of the Jewish settlements.

Thirdly because Palestinian statehood would gradually lead to membership of UN agencies and even the International Criminal Court and this would open new avenues for disputes to be settled through legal and diplomatic channels rather than through violence.

Fourthly because the international community, including the EU, has long been calling for a two-state solution. We have long recognised Israel and we wish to continue to nurture good relations with this country. But now it is time to recognise Palestine. It is time to walk the talk.

And no, this is not an anti-Israeli move as some conveniently dismiss it.

It is about upholding our values of fairness and justice for a nation that has endured suffering and humiliation for far too long. It is about allowing Israeli and Palestinian people to get on with their lives in peace, dignity, freedom and without fear. Just like the rest of us.

The only losers would be those, on both sides of the camp, who have capitalised on division because of their warped extremism or their greed for power. Well, let them lose.

The fact that I favour the Palestinian bid for statehood at the UN does not mean that I think that it will magically solve the impasse. That would be naïve.

Leaving aside Israel’s obvious vehement reaction, other obstacles stand in the way to this week’s initiative.

For instance, the US has already made it clear that it would veto such a request if it came to the UN Security Council. This position is understandable because we all know the strong US-Israeli ties. But it is disappointing and it risks undermining a great deal of goodwill that the US has amassed in the Arab world under its current Administration.

After all, only in May this year, Barack Obama himself stated that the US believes that negotiations should result in two states with borders based essentially on the 1967 lines. Now that push comes to shove, Mr Obama must continue to do the right thing.

As to the EU, even Europhiles like me can get exasperated.

It is truly a shame that with all its rhetoric of wanting to play a bigger role in world affairs, the EU still does not have a common coherent position. And the shame is even bigger when one considers that the EU has a vested interest in the political and economic stability of the region.

Here is one more reason why I favour a truly united Europe – in foreign affairs, we still do not have one. And we should.

Following the Lisbon Treaty and the appointment of a European foreign minister of sorts, one would have expected the EU to take the plunge and show leadership. But as I write, EU ministers are still squabbling over whether to support or reject the Palestinian bid or whether to issue an anodyne statement that condemns us to irrelevance.

Malta is a small member state but we have clear views on this matter. We must urge the EU to come up with a common position supporting the Palestinian bid for UN membership. We must stand for what is right.

Up to 150 of the more than 190 UN member countries will probably support the Palestinian bid. I hope we will be among them.

simon.busuttil@europarl.europa.eu

Dr Busuttil is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.