ISRAEL, US Race to Avert Palestinian UN Bid.....

**Midwest Media Critic** · 3rd August 2011 07:28 AM

Israel, US race to avert Palestinian UN bid - Yahoo! News
AP – 17 hrs ago.....
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel is working with the United States to find a way to revive peace negotiations with the Palestinians in a desperate attempt to avert a diplomatic showdown at the U.N. next month, an Israeli official confirmed Tuesday.

Peace talks have been mostly stalled for nearly three years, and the Palestinians refuse to resume negotiations while Israel continues to build settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. The Palestinians claim both areas, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, for their future state.

In the absence of a negotiated peace deal, the Palestinians plan to ask the United Nations to recognize their independence next month. The vote would be symbolic, but the Palestinians nonetheless hope it will isolate Israel and improve their negotiating position in the future.
Israel and the U.S. both oppose the U.N. bid, saying the conflict should be resolved through negotiations. Israel also fears the U.N. vote could spark street protests and potentially violent unrest.

The Palestinians are also demanding a halt to Israeli settlement construction before resuming talks. They say there is no point in negotiating if Israel continues to build homes in Jewish enclaves built on territories claimed by the Palestinians.
Some 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, including several thousand settlers living in West Bank outposts considered unauthorized even by Israel itself.

Outposts are enclaves that settlers erected in an attempt to claim more West Bank land. The government has not authorized these outposts, but has often turned a blind eye while they were built.....snip! Thoughts?

**Singularity** · 3rd August 2011 07:51 AM

The U.S. needs to stop acting at Israel's beck-and-call. If a legitimate, peaceful Palestinian authority wants U.N. membership, and is pursuing lands that were awarded to Palestinians in the original 1948 UN action that created this whole mess, then Israel needs to negotiate and the U.S. needs to force it to do so. Some consideration should be given to the masses of Israeli settlers in the West Bank and other areas, but the fact is, those people knew that they were settling in contested territory, and the only reason they need to be in that precipitously poor and dangerous area is for religion, and religion needs to be put aside if we are ever going to get a resolution to this issue that has a chance to last. Overall, if the Palestinians want to lay down their arms and talk, Israel must be forced to follow suit and must not be allowed to use the actions of fringe terrorist groups to sabotage the entire process as they have before.

**Stefan Bandera** · 3rd August 2011 07:55 AM

On a philosophical level I believe that all peooples have a right of self determination therefore the right to have their own state is not out of the question. The sad thing is that the Palestinian "leadership" has not done the Palestinian population well. I can understand without condoning the actions of the Palestinain youth who demonstarte and throw stones at Israeli tanks since let's face it they are frustrated. Recognition" by the UN may be a gfeel good move but for a people who have nothing why begrudge them that ?

What do people propose ? That the Israeli's commit genocide and wipe out the Palestinians al la Hitler and Stalin ?

**Midwest Media Critic** · 3rd August 2011 08:35 AM

He said the U.S. is looking for Israel to endorse President Barack Obama's call for the borders of a future Palestine to be based on the pre-1967 lines between Israel and the West Bank, with some modifications based on negotiated land swaps.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner declined to comment on the report that Israel agreed to negotiate on the basis of the pre-1967 cease-fire line. He also repeated U.S. opposition to the Palestinian U.N. initiative, adding that "we're working hard with both parties to find a way back to the negotiating table before then."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said he will not return to the 1967 lines, and that he wants to retain chunks of the West Bank. But the official said Israel is "willing to show some flexibility" on the matter, if the Palestinians show flexibility with Israeli concerns.
Netanyahu has demanded the Palestinians recognize Israel as "the Jewish state," a position endorsed by Obama. The Palestinians reject this demand, saying it would undermine the rights of Israel's Arab minority as well as those of Palestinian refugees who hope to return to lost properties in Israel.

Some 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, including several thousand settlers living in West Bank outposts considered unauthorized even by Israel itself.

In a key ruling Tuesday, Israel's Supreme Court ordered the government to dismantle the largest of the more than 100 unauthorized outposts. The anti-settlement Peace Now group called it a landmark ruling.....snip

This is more of what the US and Israel say.....

**zitiboy** · 3rd August 2011 10:15 AM

Israel isn't afraid of the possibility of riots and unrest. It's afraid of the unifying effect and legitimacy the UN can give the Palestinians, and for good reason.
Israel has never negotiated in good faith for peace, because Israel specifically doesn't want peace. That goes for the Israeli people as well as the rightwing govt..
Time is not on Israel's side. The smarter ones in the govt will quickly realize this, probably when it's too late.

**Djinn** · 3rd August 2011 12:13 PM

"The United Nations is neither a State nor a Government, and therefore does not possess any authority to recognize either a State or a Government."

Source: The United Nations

**splansing** · 3rd August 2011 12:18 PM

Originally Posted by Djinn

"The United Nations is neither a State nor a Government, and therefore does not possess any authority to recognize either a State or a Government."

Source: The United Nations

Right. And only Congress can declare war.

**Djinn** · 3rd August 2011 12:22 PM

Originally Posted by splansing

Right. And only Congress can declare war.

Well, that's how loopholes are used. Is there a loophole that would allow the United Nations to officially recognize a new nation in this case?

**splansing** · 3rd August 2011 12:40 PM

Originally Posted by Djinn

Well, that's how loopholes are used. Is there a loophole that would allow the United Nations to officially recognize a new nation in this case?

Sure. They vote. They recognize Palestine. It gets reported. The world sees it. Their lack of authority is irrelevant. U.N. resolutions-- which had no authority --greased the skids for the creation of Israel in the first place. Authority shmauthority. They vote to recognize Palestine and the chess board will have changed, de facto.

**Stefan Bandera** · 3rd August 2011 12:47 PM

Originally Posted by splansing

Sure. They vote. They recognize Palestine. It gets reported. The world sees it. Their lack of authority is irrelevant. U.N. resolutions-- which had no authority --greased the skids for the creation of Israel in the first place. Authority shmauthority. They vote to recognize Palestine and the chess board will have changed, de facto.

WELL STATED !!!! and I even agree !!! lol