"Concerns are growing in Israel's government over the possibility of a unilateral Palestinian declaration of independence within the 1967 borders, a move which could potentially be recognized by the United Nations Security Council.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently asked the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama to veto any such proposal, after reports reached Jerusalem of support for such a declaration from major European Union countries, and apparently also certain U.S. officials.

The reports indicated that Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad has reached a secret understanding with the Obama administration over U.S. recognition of an independent Palestinian state. Such recognition would likely transform any Israeli presence across the Green Line, even in Jerusalem, into an illegal incursion to which the Palestinians would be entitled to engage in measures of self-defense. . .

The plan specifies that at the end of a designated period for bolstering national institutions the PA, in conjunction with the Arab League, would file a "claim of sovereignty" to the UN Security Council and General Assembly over the borders of June 4, 1967 (before the outbreak of the Six-Day War, during which Israel took control of the West Bank and Gaza).Fayyad is also seeking a new Security Council resolution to replace Resolutions 242 and 338 in the hope of winning the international community's support for the borders of a Palestinian state and applying stronger pressure on Israel to withdraw from the West Bank. . .

Israeli sources said Netanyahu discussed the proposal in meetings with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and special Mideast envoy George Mitchell and requested that the U.S. tell Fayyad that it would not support his proposal and would veto it in the Security Council. Netanyahu has yet to receive a clear response from Washington on its stance on Fayyad's plan.

Netanyahu is to arrive in Washington today for a brief visit. He is scheduled to address the United Jewish Communities General Assembly, preceded by Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Obama is slated to address the GA on Tuesday, but no meeting with his Israeli counterpart has yet been scheduled. Officials in the Prime Minister's Office tried yesterday to lower expectations over the importance of such a meeting. "It won't be the end of the world if it doesn't happen," they said."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1126594.html

The latest news is that Obama has cancelled his appearance before the United Jewish Communities General Assembly, ostensibly in order to attend services for the people killed in the Fort Hood shootings. It's certainly possible that the President is using these services as an excuse to show his unhappiness with Bebe Netanyahu and the Israeli right.

Meanwhile, the Israeli papers are filled with rumors and speculation that Obama has reached an understanding with the Palestinian PM to recognize Palestine as a state if Israel continues its intransigence on the issues of stopping settlements and getting down to serious peace talks on final borders. There's no doubt that many Israelis to the left of center feel that Netanyahu has foolishly created an almost adversarial relationship with Obama that could prove disastrous in the long term for Israel and the American Israeli lobby. The last place that American Jews want to find themselves is between a rock named Obama and a hard place called Netanyahu.

It would certainly be interesting to see what would happen within the American Jewish community if Palestine were to declare itself a nation, just as Israel did in 1948, with the country's capital in East Jerusalem, followed by recognition by the Obama administration and near-unanimous vote for admission to the United Nations. The continued occupation of the West Bank at that point would become close to untenable, inviting any of over 100 UN members to sponsor a resolution to impose a military and economic boycott against Israel until its troops and illegal settlers were removed from Palestine. Not likely to happen overnight, but then we thought the same thing about the Berlin Wall and German reunification back in 1989.

I have never understood why the Palestinians don't declare a state, get admitted to the UN and get the Security Council to order the Israelis to get out of Palestine. If they refuse, have a UN peace keeping force sent to the area to make sure all Israeli troops and settlers get out in prompt order. As for American Jews who support Netanyahu over their own Presidentnt Obama, they should move to Israel if that's where their loyalties are.

It was tried thirty years ago. As long as the US is in Israel's pocket, it would be vetoed in the Security Council. .

Nevertheless, it is worth another try if only to show US recidivism to the world. Again.

If Obama were to find (suddenly) his cojones and vote "for", Israel would be the only UN member not to support it.

Cue for a sudden attack on Iran (preceded by new invasions of Gaza and Lebanon). And a hasty retreat by Washington.