Britain’s ‘Diplomatic Upgrade’ to Palestine Likely to Irk Israel

New Status to Stop Short of Full Recognition

In a move that is widely expected to result in condemnation from Israel’s Foreign Ministry (which objects to any such moves on general principle) Britain is poised to announce a significant upgrade of the diplomatic status of Palestine.

The exact details of the new status were not clear, but will move the Palestinians above the”general delegation” level that they have long been stalled at, and closer to recognition as an independent nation. It will stop short, we are told, from the full recognition Argentina and other South American nations issued to Palestine recently.

Upgrades a few months ago were no big deal, but since Israel ended its settlement freeze and, by extension, the peace talks, Israeli officials have perceived diplomatic upgrades as an affront.

But with Israeli NGOs condemning Britain in general in recent days, the move will be even more contentious in this case, and the Cameron government’s insistence that they support Israel above all else will be increasingly under question. While this is hardly the political kiss of death it might be in the US, the Cameron government may well find some backbenchers up in arms over the move.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.