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Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-israel-shalev-qa-20110808,0,2358239.story
Former Israeli UN Diplomat: The Palestinians' UN Bid Could Backfire
(Los Angeles Times) Edmund Sanders - Israel's former ambassador to the UN, Gabriela Shalev, who stepped down in October, spoke with the Los Angeles Times about why the Palestinians' UN bid could backfire. "President Obama said they would oppose any anti-Israel resolution [in the UN Security Council]. Though they haven't used the word 'veto' in public, we heard from Palestinian leaders that the Americans are going to use it. So I think the Palestinians instead will go to the General Assembly [where they are expected to upgrade their status from observer to nonmember state]." The Palestinians "will not gain anything new except for a little public diplomacy. They already have legitimacy all over the world. They are already recognized by many countries in South America and other places. So they don't really need this kind of declaration. But by doing so, they are risking antagonizing the U.S. and maybe others. I'm not sure that nowadays they want to embarrass the United States, because now it is also a matter of money."