Palestinian UN mission makes small gains as all eyes on Qatar cease-fire talks

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The Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian government have been on a downward trajectory for some time. However, if there is a bright spot in the work of the Palestinian leadership, its mission to the United Nations was instrumental in securing this week's UN Security Council resolution for a Gaza cease-fire and in making advancements toward international recognition of Palestine. A number of European states — Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia — announced last week that they had taken steps toward recognizing a Palestinian state.

The United Nations has emerged as the key battleground for the PLO, which has renounced violence in pursuit of its goals. Palestine has made some strides through the multilateral organization, but without a political or military enforcement mechanism, the United Nations' ability to influence the trajectory of the war has proven extremely limited. Some might argue that it has taken too long for the UN Security Council to act and this resolution may not be enough.

Palestine's success in New York did not come solely from the diplomatic craftsmanship of Palestinian Ambassador Riyad Mansour and his team. Devastatingly, Gazans have paid an extremely high price for it.