'Attempt To Delay US Veto' On UN State Vote

Palestinian President Abbas was filmed handing over his application for United Nations (UN) membership to the Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon.

What the cameras did not show was the UN's top diplomat then pocketing the document and walking off to find a deep filing cabinet in which to bury it for several months.
He can cover it with a Quartet statement - which appears to be an attempt at delaying the US veto at the Security Council if it ever comes to a vote on statehood.
The statement calls on the Palestinians and Israelis to hold a "preparatory meeting" within a month. This meeting is intended to "agree an agenda and method of proceeding" and therein is the first problem.
There is no reason to expect either side to agree on an agenda.
For example - Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu might want item one on the agenda to be security and proceed on the basis that Israel would have to control the Jordan valley to guard against weapon smuggling.
President Abbas would not agree, at which point the Israelis would say the Palestinians had collapsed the talks.
Conversely - Abbas might want item one to be about borders and proceed on the basis that they would discuss borders based on the 1967 lines.
Netanyahu would not agree to that, and the Palestinians would say the Israelis were refusing to negotiate.
They may get past the first obstacle, but there appears to be little in the Quartet plan which makes advancing to a "final status agreement" within a year likely.
If that is the case, then consequences will flow.
The vote on the UN could be forced, triggering the US veto, which in turn would very likely lead to violence in the West Bank and Israel - and possibly against US interests in the wider region.


'Attempt To Delay US Veto' On UN State Vote | UK & World News - Capital