<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Occupied Palestine | فلسطين]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[occupiedpalestine]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/author/hajarhajar/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[No place for Israeli threats as Palestine seeks UN&nbsp;recognition]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p class="synopsis"><strong>The Palestinian Authority (PA) and Fatah strongly  condemned on Tuesday the Israeli threat of responding with a series of  unilateral steps of its own should the PA insist on gaining UN  recognition for a Palestinian state in September</strong></p>
<ul class="details">
<li>By Nasouh Nazzal, Correspondent</li>
<li>Published: 17:23 March 29, 2011</li>
</ul>
<p>Ramallah: The Palestinian Authority (PA)  and Fatah strongly condemned on Tuesday the Israeli threat of  responding with a series of unilateral steps of its own should the PA  insist on gaining UN recognition for a Palestinian state in September.</p>
<p>Israel has said its steps may include annexation of major colony blocks and applying Israeli law to the whole of the West Bank.</p>
<p>The PA said it considered the Israeli threats as unacceptable  political coercion and added that the Israelis could not threaten the  entire international community and go totally against the resolutions of  the UN General Assembly and Security Council.</p>
<p>A senior official of Fatah told <em>Gulf News</em> that the PA was  engaged in a political and diplomatic confrontation with Israel and  added that the Palestinians would never back down.</p>
<p>September will be the time when the entire world would vote in favour  of recognition of a Palestinian state, should the deadlock in the  Palestinian-Israeli negotiations remain in place, the official said.</p>
<p>The Israelis should give up their threats and handle the situation in  a political and diplomatic way, the official said. The threats only  make the current situation worse and more complicated, widening the gap  between the two sides.</p>
<p>The official said the Palestinians were sure about a unanimous  international agreement on the recognition of their state in September,  and the Israelis should be wise enough to affect a suitable change in  their position to avoid escalation of tensions.</p>
<p>The Israeli daily <em>Haaretz </em>reported on Tuesday that Israel would take unilateral steps if the UN recognised a Palestinian state.</p>
<p>A senior Israeli Foreign Ministry official said the ministry’s  director general, Rafael Barak, had sent a classified cable to more than  30 Israeli embassies instructing them to lodge a diplomatic protest at  the highest possible level in response to the Palestinian efforts to  gain international recognition for statehood at the UN General Assembly  session in September.</p>
<p>The Israeli diplomats argued that support for international  recognition of a Palestinian state would encourage the Palestinians to  give up negotiations with the Israelis.</p>
<p>They also say international recognition violates the Oslo Accord,  which, from the Israeli perspective, is the only possible ground for  Palestinian statehood.</p>
<p>European diplomats said with the current deadlock in negotiations  between Israel and the PA, international recognition of Palestinian  statehood appeared unavoidable in September.</p>
<p>In fact, so confident is Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that he  is even reported to have told an Israeli delegation on an unofficial  visit that there was no October 2011 on his schedule.</p>
<p><a href="http://gulfnews.com/no-place-for-israeli-threats-as-palestine-seeks-un-recognition-1.784666">Source</a></p>
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