(Huffington Post) Josef Olmert - The debate over full Palestinian membership in the UN, billed as a diplomatic showdown, is just another chapter in a long saga whose end is still not in sight. The Israelis can be encouraged by the decision of Nigeria to abstain in the Security Council. Being half Muslim and a member of OPEC, Nigeria was supposed to be firmly in the Palestinian column. The Arab Middle East is far from being engulfed with fervor watching the debate in New York and the Arab masses are preoccupied primarily with their own predicament. Even the demonstrations in the West Bank are significantly smaller than anticipated. In addition, polls taken in the U.S. indicate very clearly that the majority of Americans are not really interested in the New York drama. The writer, an Adjunct Professor at American University's School of International Service in Washington, served as director of the Israel Government Press Office.
2011-09-28 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive