(Los Angeles Times) Ron Prosor - Every state recognized by the UN has the obligation to be willing and able to exert its authority over its own territory. But Abbas has not set foot in Gaza since the Hamas terrorist organization carried out a bloody coup and took control of the area in 2007. It's like New York City electing a mayor who is unable to travel to Brooklyn. A yes vote by the General Assembly would feed the fantasy that compromises reached in negotiations can be bypassed. John F. Kennedy once described the impossibility of working with those who say "What's mine is mine and what's yours is negotiable." The basic premise of the Palestinians' UN bid is: Give us everything without negotiation, and then we will negotiate about the rest. True friends of the Palestinians in the international community should urge them to return immediately to direct talks with Israel. The writer is Israel's ambassador to the United Nations.
2011-09-20 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive