Debate on the Palestinian statehood bid continues at the United Nations Security Council. On Tuesday, the top U.N. official for Political Affairs, Lynn Pascoe, all but endorsed the statehood effort, telling Council members the Palestinian Authority is ready to govern a new state and that the obstacles to peace are only “political.”

B. Lynn Pascoe, U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs: “The Palestinian Authority is capable of running the state. The strong international consensus was clear at the meeting of the ad hoc liaison committee on 18 September here in New York. The meeting confirmed the assessments of the World Bank, the IMF and UNSCO of the capability of the Palestinian Authority. The efforts to rebuild robust state institutions and revive the Palestinian economy have brought real security and economic improvements.”