Israel, Palestinians facing U.S. pressure to restart talks
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The United States is stepping up its efforts to head-off a vote at the United Nations in September on a resolution recognizing an independent Palestinian state.
With Israeli-Palestinian peace talks stalled since last September, Palestinian National Authority (PNA) President Mahmoud Abbas has proposed that the UN General Assembly (GA) vote accept " Palestine" as a full member of the organization.
While such a GA resolution is non-binding on either party, its symbolic importance would be a turning point in relations, or the lack thereof, between Israel and the PNA.
As well, in order for the resolution to have teeth, it would need the approval of the UN Security Council, which is unlikely, due to a promised veto by the U.S. President Barack Obama's administration.
"Our European partners, and we in Washington, are waiting to see whether the parties are actually going to sign up to the president's principles as a basis for negotiations," Steven Simon, the new U.S. National Security Council head of the Middle East and North Africa department, was quoted as telling Jewish leaders recently.
Simon added that while the Palestinians have been forthcoming in accepting Obama's proposal that the ceasefire lines that existed prior to the 1967 war be the basis for borders of a Palestinian state, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the proposal, arguing that it would leave Israel with " indefensible borders."
Lands on both sides of the border would be swapped to accommodate changes on the ground, according to the proposal, although Israeli officials and some analysts say that Israel simply doesn't have enough territory to offer in such swaps.
In the 1967 conflict, besides the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsular, Israel came into control of east Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza. The Palestinians aim to build their future state on portions of the latter three areas.
Local analysts said while the U.S. and the European Union are set on getting the parties back to negotiations, there isn't much the Americans can offer Israel, and even a return to negotiation might not be enough to convince the Palestinians to drop a push for a UN vote.
INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE
German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle is scheduled to arrive in Israel later this week to meet Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Afterward, he plans to visit Abbas in an attempt to convince him to drop the UN bid.
Additionally, advisers close to the Palestinian president are also trying to persuade him to call off the UN vote and restart negotiations. However, their efforts may be in vain, since Abbas has publicly committed himself to the UN effort.
Imad Ghayadah, a lecturer in Political Science at Birziet University in the West Bank, told Xinhua that a guarantee that Israel accepts Obama's recommendations might not be enough to persuade the Palestinians to halt the proposal. But it might postpone the vote for one year.
