Pro-Israel foreign diplomats in New York advised Israel against sending its president, Shimon Peres, to give a speech at the United Nations this September in an attempt to topple the Palestinian UN move, as such a move “could end up counterproductive”.The diplomats, who strongly support Israel and its policies in the occupied territories, stated that this move could very well end up harming Israel, and leading to more votes for recognizing Palestinian independence in the 1967 territories, with occupied East Jerusalem as the capital, the Arabs48 news website reported.
Furthermore, officials at the office of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that he is leaning towards not attending the September UN session, and to send Peres in his place.
The foreign diplomats stated that the very presence of Peres at the UN while the Palestinians present their request, will likely increase the symbolic importance of the Palestinian diplomatic move, especially when taking into consideration the increasing number of countries that recognized the Palestinian right to independence and statehood.
Israeli sources reported that, as the president of Israel, the International Community sees Peres, in one way or another, responsible for the ongoing idleness of the peace process, therefore “a few international leaders will give his statements any political significance”.
The diplomats advised Israel to keep a low diplomatic profile at the General Assembly meeting by only having its UN ambassador present his speech before the vote, instead of senior Israeli officials like Netanyahu or Peres.
