Makeshift 'State of Palestine' sign at UN leaves diplomats perplexed
The Palestinian ambassador to the UN pulled out all the stops ahead of the historic upgrade of Palestine, and when he requested a special chair for the PA president, UN officials told him: 'Abbas is not the Pope.'

By Barak Ravid 
December 5, 2012 
Haaretz
http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/diplomania/makeshift-state-of-palestine-sign-at-un-leaves-diplomats-perplexed.premium-1.482684


Last Friday, less than a day after the Palestinian victory at the United Nations vote, many diplomats were surprised to find that when they entered the UN General Assembly Hall, a change has occurred on the Palestinian delegation's bench. The old sign that said Palestine was replaced with a new sign that said State of Palestine. 
A source in the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem said that UN employees were perplexed by the new sign, since they did not recall issuing it. All the signs in the UNGA Hall are created using a special machine that belongs to the United Nations. That machine has been out of order due to the damage inflicted on the UN building during Hurricane Sandy. 
UN officials thus concluded that the Palestinians prepared a makeshift sign ahead of time in order to demonstrate their sovereignty following the vote, which was conducted the previous day. 
Officials in the UN Secretariat turned to Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour and asked for clarifications regarding the new sign. They stressed to Mansour that if he wished to change the text on the sign he must submit a missive with an official request, and if it were to be approved, he would receive the sign from the UN Secretariat. 
Since then, it turned out that Mansour's initiative was not only contrary to UN procedures, but was also illegal. Apparently, as a nonmember observer state at the UN, the Palestinians do not have the authority to independently request their name changed on UN signs. 
In order to change the name, a resolution must be passed in the UNGA, such as the one that was passed several years ago when the Palestinians changed their name from the PLO delegation to the Palestine delegation. In the meantime, the Palestinian envoy will have to remove the makeshift sign and replace it with the old one. 
Sources in the Israel's Foreign Ministry said that several days before the UN vote, the Palestinian delegation to the UN invested a significant amount of time in making the event as festive and symbolic as possible.  
For example, Mansour requested that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas sit on a specially-designed chair on the stage during the GA. UN officials rejected the request, saying that such a move is only customary during the general discussion that takes place every September in the UNGA, and not during regular meeting in which resolutions are voted on. The Palestinians claimed that they looked into the matter and found that in the past, a special chair was placed on the stage during a regular UNGA meeting for the Pope. 
With all due respect, Abbas is not the Pope, or the Queen of England, UN officials told the Palestinian envoy, adding that such personalities receive the right due to their age and stature.