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Netanyahu lobbies Romania, Bulgaria over UN vote

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made a quick 12-hour visit to Romania and Bulgaria this week to sway votes against a UN General Assembly initiative calling for Palestinian statehood. The Prime Minister Office’s spokesperson, Gidi Shmerling, told the Voice of Israel radio that both leaders of Romania and Bulgaria informed Netanyahu that they oppose unilateral steps as a solution to solving the conflict. “I found understanding here that peace is made through negotiations, and not dictate,” Netanyahu said.  

Following the PM’s visit to Bucharest Wednesday, where he appeared to gain Romanian support opposing the Palestinian bid in the UN, Netanyahu visited Bulgaria to meet with Prime Minister Boiko Borisov. In Sofia, Borisov did not publicly make any guarantees against the vote. “You will see when the time comes. There’s still time,” the Bulgarian PM stated during a joint news conference. Borisov added, however, that the two sides needed to return to negotiations in order to reach a peace deal. A Quartet meeting is scheduled for 11 July, where it is hoped that a formula can be reached which brings both sides back to negotiations and forgoes the need for a unilateral initiative by the Palestinians in September.

Eastern European countries are hesitant to support or oppose a Palestinian bid publicly without unanimous EU agreement on the issue. Israel is currently campaigning worldwide to gain as many votes as possible against the unilateral move. Israel believes that it is essential for direct talks to take place between the two sides in order to reach a mutual understanding for a permanent peace agreement.

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