Israeli PM Visits Romania
Netanyahu and the Romanian President
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is visiting Romania, a East European country, member of the European Union and NATO, in an attempt to build up an opposition to the plan of the Palestinians to ask the United Nations the recognition of a Palestinian state within the historical borders in 1967.
The Israeli PM is trying to create a critical mass of 60 votes against recognition in the United Nations General Assembly. He is to meet in Bucharest with the Romanian president and prime minister.
Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Israel would have a serious reaction to the unilateral proclamation of an Palestinian state. Lieberman said unilateral steps would be taken, but decline to suggest what exactly will Israel do.
UN General Assembly
In the past, however, he alluded that if Palestinians took their problem to the world body, Israel could annul peace agreements and even annex territories in the West Bank.
Palestinians intend to ask the General Assembly of the UN in September to recognize their state, a move that is merely symbolic, but which could be used as a means to apply pressure on Israel in as much as stopping colonization in the West Bank is concerned.
Israel refuses this way of settling the matter with the Palestinians and considers that the negotiations are the only acceptable way to deal with the situation. No other form of establishing borders of a state of Palestinians is unacceptable for Israel.
Both Israelis and Palestinians have lobbied hard over this matter. Netanyahu has already visited Britain and France, and after Romania, he will continue his European tour to Bulgaria, where he will arrive on Thursday.
European Union is trying to acquire a common position on the matter, since countries like France and Germany have different views on the solution that should be pursued.
Thus, France leans toward recognizing the state, unless negotiations are resumed by September, whereas Germany and Italy are inclined to oppose such recognition.
The state of Palestinians has already been recognized by Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina and Russia, and other countries are expected to follow suit.
