US ‘Undecided’ on Vetoing Palestinian Statehood at UN

Netanyahu Says Resolution Would 'Fuel Radical Islam'

New UN Security Council resolutions are looming related to Palestinian statehood, and as usual Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is presenting the resolution’s passage as “fueling radical Islam.”

Netanyahu’s argument, such as it is, is that if the Palestinians are given a timetable for statehood it would spark a “diplomatic offensive” against Israel which would bring “Islamic extremists to the outskirts of Tel Aviv and the heart of Jerusalem.”

The presumption is that the Obama Administration will veto the resolutions as indeed the US historically vetoes anything that is even remotely opposed by the Israeli government as a matter of course.

Yet US officials say it is “too early to tell” and that they are undecided on the various proposals, and whether or not to veto them.

The EU is pushing to establish a timetable, even if an unspecific one. Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz expressed confidence that the US will ultimately veto them however, noting “that’s how it’s always been.”

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.