Barghouti: 'U.N. Membership Will Give Palestine Hope' January 17, 2012

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Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2012/01/10/The_UN_Should_Admit_Palestine_as_a_Full_Member_State

Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, argues that admitting Palestine to the United Nations would give Palestine the opportunity to become a fully autonomous state, separate from Israel. Barghouti asserts, "it will send a message to the Israelis that they will not be really free unless Palestinians are also free."

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The U.N. Should Admit Palestine as a Full Member State: An Intelligence Squared U.S. Debate. This program was recorded on January 10, 2012.

FOR THE MOTION:
Dr. Mustafa Barghouti
Daniel Levy

AGAINST THE MOTION:
Dore Gold
Aaron David Miller

MODERATOR:
John Donvan

On September 23, 2011, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas appeared before the U.N. General Assembly to request full membership for the State of Palestine. America's veto power renders their bid largely symbolic, but there could be leverage gained-- like indirect recognition of statehood-- in the process. After 20 years of failed talks with Israel, can this plea to the international community be the only path left to a two-state solution, or have the Palestinians set the peace process back by bypassing negotiations?

Palestinian democracy activist Mustafa Barghouti was a candidate for the presidency of the Palestinian National Authority in 2005, finishing second to Mahmoud Abbas, with 19% of the vote. A medical doctor trained in the former Soviet Union and Jerusalem, he also received a degree in management from Stanford University in the United States, as a Sloan Fellow. Nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 2010, Barghouti is Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, a movement that campaigns for political reforms.