Europe's Palestine paradox at the United Nations

As diplomatic chicanery continues at the United Nations, in New York, over the imminent bid from Palestine for full membership of the intergovernmental body – the European Union has yet to work out a united stance. We know that the United States may use its veto, if the proposal gains the necessary support of nine out of the 15 votes on the UN Security Council.

Although, President Barack Obama would prefer the plan to be voted down earlier in the process. This would mean that America does not have to face the embarrassment of using its veto to hinder progressive change in Palestine - at the same time as it is championing the freedom and democracy of the Arab spring, in other countries across the region. With more than 100 nations already recognising Palestine as a "free and independent state", the smell of western hypocrisy lingers in the air. In Europe - only Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Poland, and Romania acknowledge the existence of a Palestinian state.

And therein lies the rub. This paradox is, at the moment, the elephant in the room. How can Europe – at supranational or member-state level – fail to support the Palestinian bid for improved democracy, human rights and freedom of movement of citizens to important cultural sites in Jerusalem and elsewhere? Especially, when these are the universal values it champions and demands from those within the European club and those wanting to gain entry to it. According to some commentators -the answer is that a different, more gradual process to reaching the famous "two-state solution" would be preferable. Certainly, many politicians and officials fear that a big-bang approach of rubber-stamping Palestine's claims at the UN would only create further violence on the streets of Israel and Palestine, while destabilising the status quo of western dominance at the UN. Perhaps, the latter is one of the reasons that China and Russia – for example – support the Palestinian bid.

The issue is obviously one of great complexity and some 60 years down the line, we are no further towards crafting a suitable solution that is acceptable to both Israelis and Palestinians - as well the superpower backers on either side. Writing for PublicServiceEurope.com here, Poul Nyrup Rasmussen – the president of the Party of European Socialists Group in the European Parliament – insists that the position taken by Europe in the UN vote will be "a litmus test to our credibility as a broker for peace".

He adds: "Europe supported Libya, Europe supported Egypt, now is the time to support the Palestinians. Serious and unobstructed peace talks must be resumed for a two-state solution based on the pre-1967 borders with Jerusalem, as the capital of both states. This is what the Palestinian bid for recognition is seeking to do and this is why we as Europeans, socialists and fervent believers in democracy must pledge our support."

But before Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas presses ahead with plans to submit a formal application to UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday, as seems inevitable now, there will be another high-profile event. Tomorrow, President of the European Council President Herman Van Rompuy will become the first EU leader to speak for the bloc at the UN general assembly – following the union's triumph in winning an upgrade of its own status to "super-observer". The moment threatens to be either a landmark for a united Europe or a damp squib, exposing once again the divisions and weaknesses across EU institutions and member states. Cometh the hour, cometh the man.