(Tribune Media Services) Joel Brinkley - In September the UN is likely to vote on whether to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state. Right now, Israeli and Palestinian officials are traveling to European and other capitals, furiously soliciting votes. But no one doubts that a majority will vote with the Palestinians. "We have no chance of winning," said Ron Dermer, a senior aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "We have maybe 30-40 countries on our side." Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian prime minister, has publicly criticized Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, for raising public expectations. "That's not my thinking about September at all - assert absolute sovereignty unilaterally." The truth is, he added, the day after the vote will the same as the day before.
2011-08-02 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive