Palestinian UN Bid Will Fail, Netanyahu Says
The Palestinian initiative to obtain full membership in the United Nations won’t succeed in the face of U.S. opposition, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said Sept. 16 the Palestinians will this week request that the UN Security Council recognize a Palestinian state and accept it as a full member.
“I am convinced that the activities of the United States, which is acting in close cooperation with us, and the results of the activities of other governments with whom we are cooperating, as are of course the Americans, means this attempt will fail,” Netanyahu told the weekly Cabinet meeting in Jerusalem today, in remarks posted on his office’s website.
The Obama administration has said it will veto a UN statehood resolution at the Security Council, calling it counterproductive to the goal of reaching a deal via negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
A U.S. veto in the Security Council wouldn’t bar the Palestinians from seeking a vote in the larger General Assembly to upgrade the Palestinian Authority’s observer status from an “entity” to a “non-member state.”
A vote in the General Assembly “has neither the same weight nor importance,” as the Security Council, Netanyahu said. The Palestinians need to understand that “peace will be achieved only through direct negotiations,” he said.
Peace Deal
The Palestinian UN initiative is meant to “delegitimize Israel’s policies and occupation,” yet not delegitimize or isolate Israel itself, Abbas said Sept. 16. He said that after getting statehood recognition, the Palestinians would continue to work toward a peace deal.
“Of course there is a chance to start direct negotiations,” Palestinian negotiator Nabil Shaath said today, speaking on Israel Radio. “You stop your settlements, and we go tomorrow to direct negotiations.”
Negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians broke down a year ago after Netanyahu declined to extend a freeze on new construction on West Bank settlements, which Abbas said was a condition for the talks to continue.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak is in Washington today to confer with U.S. officials ahead of the UN annual meeting this week. Envoys of the Middle East Quartet - comprising the U.S., U.N. European Union and Russia - will convene in New York City today, according to Ruti Winterstein, spokeswoman for the Office of the Quartet Representative in Jerusalem.
To contact the reporter on this story: Calev Ben-David in Jerusalem at cbendavid@bloomberg.net.
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Andrew J. Barden at barden@bloomberg.net.
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