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Comment and Opinion

Roee Nahmias – 22/06/2011

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The diplomatic battle between Israel and the Palestinian Authority ahead of the United Nations General Assembly session in September has been raging in many theaters worldwide. In one arena at least, the Palestinian win was never in doubt. The support of Arab states seems to have been taken for granted, yet an analysis of recent events in the region shows that the Arab world’s position should not encourage the Palestinians, as it mostly reflects domestic preoccupation with the latest Mideastern developments.

The Arab League’s monitoring committee met at the end of May in Qatar, where it voiced its support in seeking UN endorsement for Palestinian statehood. The meeting’s concluding statement noted that the committee decided to approach the UN in order to seek full membership for the state of Palestine, on the basis of the 1967 borders and east Jerusalem as its capital. Yet the statement, which did not surprise anyone, did not take into account the changes in the region, and now it turns out that the Palestinian move is coinciding with one of the most dramatic eras in Arab world history.”

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