Palestinian Statehood: Obama, Sarkozy Urge Abbas to Drop UN Bid

By Katherine Weber, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, September 21, 2011

In the 66th Opening Session of the UN General Assembly Wednesday, President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy will urge Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to revoke his bid for statehood.

Pro-Palestine activists gathered in New York this morning to encourage its bid for statehood.

The positive sentiment outside of the UN building contrasted the debates ensuing inside, as two of the world’s biggest heavyweights, France and the US, will sway UN members away from voting for Palestinian statehood.

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Obama may have to implement U.S. veto power to persuade the 193 nations attending the conference that the UN is not the proper channel for which Palestine should gain statehood.

Obama will address the United Nations concerning the tense situation in the Middle East and his opposition to Palestinian Statehood on Wednesday morning.

Palestine needs 9 votes out of 10 to win statehood. If these votes are garnered, Obama will implement US veto power.

Both Sarkozy and Obama fear that Palestine’s UN statehood would be dangerous for politics in the Middle East. It would give Palestine too much power, causing its existing feuds with other countries to erupt into potential war.

Palestine’s UN gain would make Israel even more isolated from the world. Already an unsavory candidate of public opinion, Israel must use diplomatic tact in order to gain any leverage at the conference.

Israel will not be garnering much compassion for its opposition to Palestine. Israel’s recent involvement with Arab Spring and strained relations with Turkey and the US means that it will not have the popularity vote at the conference.

Regardless of the debates that ensue at the UN this week, Obama hopes to come to a compromise regarding the Palestine and Israel situation.

Obama treads on dangerous water, as being too pro Palestine will make him lose the Jewish vote, and causing any sort of friction between the two Middle Eastern countries will result in a stalemate.

Political pundits agree that without compromise between these two virulent nations, Israel will become even more isolated and Palestine will not get any closer to statehood.

CNN describes the appeal to the General Assembly as a "final act of desperation" by President Abbas.

Both Palestine and Israel will make their cases Friday at the General Assembly. Analysts predict a three way meeting between America, Palestine and Israel is highly unlikely.