From:
Big fight over non-binding resolution on Palestinian unilateralism
(The Jewish Week) -- by James Besser --
This week the House of Representatives passed a resolution opposing any unilateral Palestinian move toward statehood after a few days of fierce lobbying by both opponents and supporters.
I bet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is really worried and will change his plans immediately.
The measure, initiated by Rep. Howard Berman (D-Calif.), argues that “a true and lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians can only be achieved through direct negotiations between the parties,” criticizes a “coordinated strategy of seeking recognition of a Palestinian state within the United Nations, in other international forums, and from a number of foreign governments” by the Palestinian Authority and calls on the Obama administration to “lead a diplomatic effort” to thwart the effort...
The resolution was pushed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which sees a big battle over a unilateral declaration as increasingly likely in the wake of recognition by several South American countries...
From what I'm hearing there was a lot of pushing and shoving on Capitol Hill over a non-binding resolution demanding that the administration do pretty much what it's already doing.
But the outcome was never in doubt; it's hard for lawmakers not to sign on to such broad-brush, non-binding resolutions endorsed by the pro-Israel lobby. This one, like so many AIPAC-backed resolutions, was artfully constructed to avoid criticism of the administration (to keep Democrats on board) while listing a long list of Palestinian sins.
And, as AIPAC undoubtedly planned, the measure was probably welcomed by some center-left lawmakers who are always looking for ways to boost their pro-Israel credentials without actually saying anything controversial...MORE...LINK
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