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Palestinians Seen Gaining Momentum in Quest for Statehood
(New York Times) Jodi Rudoren - Palestinians have gained political momentum with moves made outside of negotiations to establish a state. International recognition, by 135 countries and counting, is what Palestinians are betting could eventually force changes on the ground - without their leaders having to make concessions. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised Sunday that he would "not sit idly by" in the face of what he called Palestinian "confrontation." Meanwhile, PA President Mahmoud Abbas seems increasingly indifferent to American diplomacy. He vowed Sunday to resubmit a Security Council resolution that failed last week "again and again" and to "join 100, 200, 300" international organizations, despite the risk of Israeli and American sanctions. Talk of the two sides agreeing on anything has all but disappeared. Yaakov Amidror, a former Israeli national security adviser, played down the significance of the recent Palestinian steps and said of threats to dissolve the Palestinian Authority, "We have been there and it's not so bad," referring to the pre-Oslo accord days.