Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, decided to shift the Israeli policy and stance regarding the UN Thursday vote on the Palestinian nonmember status, and is currently tying to tone down and trim the Palestinian application to alter its some of it context. Israeli daily, Haaretz, reported that Tel Aviv is holding extensive talks with Washington in an attempt to reach a different draft of the application that is more toned down, and would not cause political embarrassment to Israel.
On Sunday, Netanyahu sent his envoy, Yitzhak Molcho, to the United States to hold talks on the issue.
The new Israeli stance is different than its openly declared rejection to any talks on the issue, and for even allowing the Palestinians to submit the application.
Israeli officials held extensive talks with leaders of the U.S. and the European Union in order to pressure Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, into changing his mind and refrain from filing the application.
But American officials told Netanyahu and his advisers that Abbas is determined to file the UN bid, therefore, the U.S. now prefers to hold talks on the wording of the application in order to reduce political harm to Tel Aviv.
Netanyahu decided to join the American stance and is trying to add certain terminologies and sentences, including a clear Palestinian approval to refraining from heading to the International Criminal Court to sue Israel for its crimes.
He is also trying to change the nature of any UN resolution regarding the Palestinian bid in order to prevent it from granting the Palestinians any sovereignty on Jerusalem or the entire West Bank, in addition to pushing the Palestinians into resuming peace talks with Tel Aviv.
Haaretz said that, at the current stage, Israel intends to continue to freeze the transfer of all Palestinian tax money, and wants the U.S to implement the Congress decision of last year regarding the freeze of funds to the P.A.
Israel also said that it intends to announce new bids for the construction of hundreds of units in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including “legalizing” some existing illegal settlement outposts.
The Palestinian leadership in the West Bank had to quit direct peace talks with Israel due to its ongoing violations and attacks against the Palestinian people, and due to Israel’s ongoing illegal settlement construction and expansion activities in the occupied West Bank, including in and around occupied East Jerusalem.
The leadership repeatedly announced that heading to the UN is not aimed at isolating Israel, as these moves are meant at boosting the internationally-guaranteed rights of the Palestinian people based on all related United Nations and Security Council resolutions that Israel never accepted and implemented due to heaving political and financial baking by the United States.
