Israel Backs Off Threats Against Palestinian UN Vote
Former Envoy: Israel 'Overreacted' to Planned Vote
After months of ever more bellicose threats against the Palestinians in the event they carried out a vote seeking UN recognition as a non-member observer state, Israel is quickly backpedaling now that the vote may be just hours away.
With the vote expected to get overwhelming support, Israel is now downplaying its past threats of immediate sanctions and forcibly ousting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and are now insisting the vote is meaningless.
Gabriela Shalev, Israel’s former Ambassador to the UN, insists the current government overreacted to the proposed vote, saying Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz’s claim it posed a “strategic threat” and Avigdor Lieberman’s dubbing the vote “political terrorism” were “exaggerated.”
While Israel’s far-right government does tend to overreact to even minor perceived diplomatic slights, the consistency and shrillness of the threats against the Palestinian vote make it difficult for them to credibly back down, and leave a huge disconnect now that they have changed the narrative to that of a “meaningless” vote.
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persnipoles
November 28th, 2012 at 8:48 pm
You don't make rules you can't enforce…since then your 'authority' would look silly…. If what you wanted was to look something like omnipotent, you'd choose no battles you haven't rigged. Still, now I'm curious what happened to the war crimes issue –does backing off mean they have some prophylactic against getting a major portion of their gov't charged in the ICC? –now that their prey may become capable of making that happen? …who all were they assassinating lately? …or did they just hand off the loser role to the US proxy?
Augustbrhm
November 29th, 2012 at 2:18 am
At long last the zionist is losing every round military/politically and america can only stand idly by as events are beyond her control.
Watson
November 29th, 2012 at 6:47 am
I found this Reuter's quote very telling:
"A U.N. General Assembly vote on Thursday recognising a Palestinian state will do nothing to make it a reality in practice", Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "no matter how many hands are raised against us".
Now if that is not entrenched paranoia, nothing is. Why would a yes vote to give Palestinians a limited membership in the UN be interpreted solely as countries being AGAINST Israel? Does it have to be the old 'you're either with us or against us' for Israelis? How about these countries just being fair with their vote.