Israel Today: Did Obama promise?
Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas is deliberately exploiting a speech by US President Barack Obama to drum up support for the Palestinians’ unilateral statehood bid at the UN later this month.
As part of a worldwide media campaign ahead of the September 21 motion for Palestinian statehood, Abbas’ regime has produced a radio spot that includes Obama saying the following to the UN General Assembly in 2010:
“When we come back here next year, we can have an agreement that can lead to a new member of the United Nations, an independent, sovereign state of Palestine living in peace with Israel.”
Obama Administration officials insist the president was simply expressing his hopes that a two-state peace deal would be concluded by now, but Abbas states at the end of the radio spot: “If he said it, he must have meant it.”
JTA: J Street says no
The liberal Jewish group J Street opposes Palestinian efforts to achieve statehood recognition through the United Nations, as well as plans to penalize the Palestinians for making the bid.
“We believe that everything J Street stands for and what we do needs to promote the two-state solution and not just two states,” Jeremy Ben-Ami, the director of the dovish pro-Israel group, told JTA.
Palestinian statehood should come about through negotiations with Israel and not unilaterally, he said.
Sky News: Russians say yes
Russia has put its growing ties with Israel to the test by announcing plans to back a controversial Palestinian bid to win UN statehood despite strong resistance from the Jewish state.
The decision does not come as an outright surprise but still underscores the growing diplomatic isolation Israel finds itself in following a violent new flare-up in relations with regional powers Egypt and Turkey.
Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said on Monday Moscow was not pushing their Soviet-era allies to submit their candidacy for a vote at the world governing body later this month.
But Churkin said Russia would vote in favour of any type of official UN recognition the Palestinians decided to seek.
New York Times: European leaders are divided
The Europeans are bitterly divided. Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and the Czech Republic, among others, are prepared to abstain or vote against the resolution. France, Spain and even Britain might vote in favor.
Analysts say that if the Europeans fail to speak with one voice in voting for the Palestinian request and recognizing Israeli concerns at the same time, their credibility across the Middle East will be tainted.
European Jewish Press: European poll shows support
A new opinion poll found that a majority of people in Germany, France and the UK believe Palestinians have a right to their own state, and want their countries to vote in favour of a UN resolution to support recognition of a Palestinian state.
The survey carried out online by YouGov on behalf of London-based Avaaz shows that in Germany 84% supported Palestinian statehood and 76% believed Germany should act now to recognize, in the UK the figures were 71% and 59%, and in France with IFOP, the figures were 82% and 69% respectively.
The results of the poll are published as European Union Foreign Ministers meet in Brussels to try to define a common
AFPTrying to sway European vote
A giant 4-storey-high Palestinian flag fluttering outside European Union head offices Monday urges EU backing of the Palestinian push for United Nations membership.
“913,171 people say: EU: Recognise Palestine,” says the flag hoisted by international non-governmental group Avaaz, which claims more than nine million supporters globally, says more than 900,000 people have signed an online petition backing a Palestinian bid for UN recognition.
U.S. petition against
As of September 11, over 64,000 signatures have been sent to a “Petition Against a Unilaterally Declared Palestine” initiated by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York in conjunction with the Israel Action Network of the Jewish Federations of North America in partnership with the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.
“We, the undersigned, call upon the 193 Members of the United Nations to vote against endorsing a unilaterally declared Palestinian state and to promote the resumption of bilateral negotiations,” it reads.
“We are of the belief, as reaffirmed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his May 24, 2011, speech to the United States Congress, that a central goal of direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians is the establishment of two states for two peoples – a Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state in secure and recognized borders. A unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state would serve only to undermine a lasting and negotiated peace agreement and deepen the conflict.
“Furthermore, a negotiated settlement and the rejection of unilateral moves were enshrined in the 1995 Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement and endorsed by the Middle East Quartet. Apart from being counterproductive, the sanctioning of a unilateral move by the Palestinian Authority in and of itself represents a violation of existing and agreed upon international frameworks for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and binding bilateral agreements between the parties, including UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, both of which call for negotiations “between the parties concerned under appropriate auspices aimed at establishing a just and durable peace.”
Rather than support unilateral action, we call upon the international community to encourage the resumption of bilateral negotiations immediately and without preconditions.
To sign it, click here
This petition encourages continued bilateral negotiations for a Palestinian state alongside with Israel. NO WAY!!!!
If this vote passes Hashem will respond in kind. Bring it on!
i think it is inappropriate to have a link to a petition, which calls for negotiations ‘without preconditions’.
Why do they want a second state, Jordan is about 80% Palestinian, that’s their country.
On what basis do they demand a 2nd country and on Israel’s cheshbon to boot.
it means nothing
We should start a massive worldwide Tefillin campaign. Bigger than ever! Lets all take to the streets – (not just the Bochurim on Fridays) Its clear, as the Rebbe taught, that when the nations of the world will see that we are G-ds people, and that we’re there on their streets, in all their countries, putting on Tefillin, in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisrael, that they will see that we are G-d’s people. This will certainly lead to safety for the people in Eretz Yisroel as the Rebbe clearly said. And might even affect the votes… Read more »