U.S. lawmakers are preparing responses to last week’s U.N. diplomatic gambit by the Palestinian Authority, which saw the organization defy President Obama and undermine U.S. diplomacy by unilaterally seeking a declaration of non-member statehood via the U.N. and outside of bilateral negotiations with Israel. The Senate is preparing legislation that...

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United States diplomats are blasting a vote in the United Nations General Assembly in which the UNGA voted to upgrade the Palestinian status at the United Nations to that of a non-member observer state. U.S. Secretary of State Clinton criticized the resolution – which passed with 138 votes in favor,...

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed earlier today the Palestinian bid for non-member state status at the United Nations, emphasizing that while Israeli seeks to live in peace alongside a Palestinian state, the diplomatic gambit set for tonight “doesn’t advance peace, it pushes it backwards.” The Palestinian move, which is...

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U.S. Officials: Resolution Endangers “Prospects of a Durable Peace” U.S. officials are slamming a vote by the United Nations General Assembly to upgrade the Palestinian status at the United Nations to that of a non-member observer state. U.S. Secretary of State Clinton criticized the resolution – which passed with 138 votes in...

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The United Nations General Assembly is expected to vote this Thursday on a motion to grant the Palestinians recognition as a non-member observer state. The motion, which carries no binding force as far as actually establishing a state of Palestine but does open up options for the Palestinians to sue...

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West Bank: Media and political analysis of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s diplomatic gambit to achieve statehood via a United Nations declaration, rather than through negotiations with Israel, is increasingly revolving around the diplomatic consequences of Abbas’s open “defiance” of U.S. President Obama. The language, which was used yesterday by Reuters...

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On a phone call with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, U.S. President Barack Obama reiterated his opposition to a planned diplomatic gambit by the Palestinian leader, under which the Palestinians would secure non-member statehood at the United Nations. What journalists are labeling Abbas’s open ‘defiance’ of Obama’s explicit appeals may...

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Palestinian officials signaled that they remain committed to pursuing a declaration of non-member statehood in the United Nations. Diplomats from the United States, the European Union, and Israel have all urged Palestinian leaders to suspend their unilateral campaign, which violates decades of Palestinian commitments to pursuing peace with Israel in...

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UN officials are formally condemning the incursion earlier this week of three Syrian tanks into the demilitarized zone (DMZ) that separates Israel and Syria. The incident – which constituted a breach of the 1974 disengagement agreement between the two countries – highlighted the degree to which the chaos of Syria’s...

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As the dimensions of Syria’s proxy war expanded over the weekend, so did its potential to spiral into a full-blown regional conflict, with Syrian tanks entering the demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights that separates Syria from Israel. The tanks reportedly fired at Syrian rebels living in the Syrian village...

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