6nis of view >> Send letters to: letters@thejewishnews.com News Analys EDITORIAL BOARD: Publisher: Arthur M. Horwitz Chief Operating Officer: F. Kevin Browett Contributing Editor: Robert Sklar Editorial Building Inspired Summers H Israeli soldiers scuffle with Palestinians during a demonstration near the West Bank village of Belt Omar on Aug. 13. Some analysts have warned that a U.N. vote on Palestinian statehood could set off a new wave of Palestinian-Israeli violence. Palestinian Statehood Primer Understanding the nuances of the U.N. vote. Uriel Heilman New York/JTA 0 n Sept. 20, when the annual session of the U.N. General Assembly opens, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to ask U.N. Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon to present a Palestinian request for statehood recognition to the U.N. Security Council. The long-anticipated request will kick off a chain of events that some analysts are warning could result in a new par- oxysm of violence in the Middle East. Here is a guide to what might happen and what it might mean. • What do the Palestinians want the United Nations to recognize? The Palestinians want recognition of the "state of Palestine" in the entirety of the West Bank, Gaza and eastern Jerusalem. The West Bank — an area controlled by Jordan from the end of Israel's War of Independence in 1949 until it was captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War — includes lands on which Jewish settlements now sit. Eastern Jerusalem was effectively annexed by Israel, but the international community views it as occupied territory. In total, more than 600,000 Jews reside in eastern Jerusalem and the West Bank. • What's the legal process for becoming a state? The U.N. Security Council's approval is required to become a U.N. member state. The United States, which is one of the 15-member council's five per- manent, veto-wielding members, has promised to veto a Palestinian statehood resolution. • Is there a way for the Palestinians to over- come a U.S. veto? Not in the Security Council. However, the Palestinians still could seek statehood recogni- tion at the U.N. General Assembly. While a General Assembly vote in favor of Palestinian statehood would not carry the force of law, the passage of such a resolution would be highly symbolic and represent a significant public relations defeat for Israel. • Is there any benefit short of full statehood recognition that the Palestinians can obtain at the United Nations? Yes. The Palestinians already have non-mem- ber permanent observer status at the United Nations, which they obtained in 1974. This time, the General Assembly could vote to recog- nize "Palestine" as a non-member U.N. state, which would put Palestinian U.N. membership on par with that of the Vatican. While being a non-member state wouldn't give the Palestinians much more than they have now as a non-state observer, it would be another symbolic victory. If the Palestinians can get a two-thirds major- ity in support of statehood in the General Assembly, they also could put forward a so-called Uniting for Peace resolution. This nonbinding, advisory resolution could provide legal cover to nations wanting to treat "Palestine" as a state — for example, allowing sanctions and lawsuits against Israel to go forward. The Uniting for Peace News Analysis on page 39 38 September 15 • 2011 ow befitting that "Summer in the City" – the vibrant 10-year-old youth volunteer program run by young adult professionals – now has a headquarters in Southwest Detroit to perform its magic of painting murals, planting gardens, tutoring kids and lead- ing campers. A $25,000 Robert Sosnick Award of Excellence prize from Metro Detroit's Jewish Fund covered about half the cost of the 92-year-old house, affectionately dubbed the "Collaboratory." The SITC board – 20- and 30-somethings – isn't bask- ing in the glow of the Collaboratory, at Clark Street and Vernor Highway, in a bustling neighborhood. They're working to elevate the secular summertime program by taking advantage of having a home base. Enlisting teen volunteers, lining up project partners, growing service capacity and raising support dollars is a year-round effort, certainly. Ideally, the headquarters will cultivate and nurture new SITC staff and supporters – so important amid the growth from when co-founders Ben Falik, Mike Goldberg and Neil Greenberg led 12 volunteers for a week on a shoestring budget. This year, the 32-day project period saw 220 young volunteers, from the suburbs and Detroit, per day. The leadership crew, many of whom joined SITC as high school volunteers, is paid partially by other sources, but the main operating budget of $100,00 is derived largely from donors, including the Jewish Fund and Federation's Stephen H. Schulman Millennium Fund. The headquarters also is a great spot for meeting, mix- ing and mingling – driving friendships, shaping ideas, set- ting strategy, evaluating projects. Time will tell how high the young people of Summer in the City soar from their new perch with boundless potential. P Jewish-Arab Promise A mid the reverberating Arab-Israeli clash over unilateral Palestinian statehood, a new Israeli business incubator is quietly hoping to spur joint Jewish-Arab biomed ventures in the Central Galilee. We hope it's proof that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict doesn't mean Jews and Arabs in Israel can't get along for the betterment of their country. Hadasit-The Technology Transfer Company of Hadassah Hospital and Medical Organization is the impetus behind investor-supported Ways, the name of the incubator per- colating in the Jezreel Valley, part of Michigan Jewry's partner region in Israel. Given Hadassah Hospital's inte- gral role, you can bet the project will eye new ways to bring medical advances. Beyond joint Jewish-Arab biotechnology ventures, Ways will strive to promote the entrepreneurial spirit among immigrants and teenagers who show talent in the growing biotech field, according to a Globes-online.com article in a recent email newsletter of the Michigan-Israel Business Bridge, based in Ann Arbor. Armed with $2 million from Hadasit and several million dollars in other pledges from social organizations, Ways will invest $500,000 in 12 projects each – an investment to be matched by Israel's Office of the Chief Scientist. Not every story involving Jews and Arabs in Israel is rooted in confrontation. Ways is Exhibit A. I 1