Jerusalem question comes to the forefront at the UN
It is not clear how the UN Security Council will vote Tuesday on the Jerusalem question but one thing is obvious: Israel is worried that the US might not veto the potential condemnation of the UN.
Israeli political sources expressed fear on Monday that the Palestinians, backed by all the Arab states, would succeed in passing an anti-Israel resolution in the Security Council discussion on Jerusalem, due to start Tuesday. The US might apparently find it difficult to veto the resolution, since the Arab bloc proposing the resolution planed to use wording used frequently by the US in criticizing the Israeli government decision, Israeli sources reasoned.
Israel has decided to enlarge the area of Jerusalem to include areas surrounding the city both from the west and the east, including parts of the West Bank. The decision was strongly condemned by the Palestinian government, which saw in it a new move to Judaize the city of Jerusalem and kill the remaining chances for peace between the Arabs and Israel. A number of other countries too expressed their condemnation of the Israel move and the UN has become one of the venues for the new diplomatic showdown between Israel and the Arab states.
Besides, over 80 state-members of the UN have already registered to speak before the Security Council on the issue of Jerusalem, a matter that reflects a record level of world interest on the part of UN members in the question of Jerusalem. The US has applied pressure to postpone the proposed resolution, which includes a severe condemnation of Israel, in order to avoid vetoing such a condemnation. Even if no last minute surprises occur, voting on the Jerusalem question is not expected to take place before the end of this week. But regardless of the vote outcome, Israeli political sources admit that Israel's diplomatic standing has been steadily deteriorating over the past few days. "Bad news is coming in from all over," said one Israeli source, "even the Europeans do not want to hear from us."
Another battle to be expected soon within the UN is the question of upgrading PLO status in the United Nations. Israeli prime minister Benyamin Netanyahu has recently claimed that Palestinian efforts to upgrade the status of the PLO in the UN contravene the Oslo Accords and he spirit of the peace agreements between the PLO and Israel. But sources in the Israeli foreign ministry were quoted on Monday as saying that the Oslo accords do not prohibit upgrading the PLO status in the UN. Allan Baker, the ministry's legal advisor, drafted a special opinion on the subject and presented it to his superiors in the ministry, which is currently run by Netanyahu himself since the resignation of former foreign minister David Levy some six months ago. According to Baker's opinion, the move to upgrade the PLO's status is purely procedural, and does not advance the organization to the status of a state, but rather leaves it as an observer, with various additional powers.
The status of "observer" in the UN, according to Baker, is not specified in the UN charter but only in the procedural practice. In the opinion he gave, he determines that the Oslo Accords do not forbid a change in the PLO's status in the UN. At most, says Baker, Israel would be able to claim that this move is contrary to the spirit of the agreements within the overall process. "It would be hard to find a basis for a tangible infraction of the Oslo Accords, in the present state of affairs."
In light of Baker's opinion, Netanyahu came under fire from fellow politicians and officials in the foreign ministry. Many have argued that Netanyahu has been listening only to his ambassador to the UN, Dore Gold, instead of holding an organized staff discussion on the matter. Foreign ministry sources blamed Netanyahu for exaggerating his campaign of pressure against the PLO move in the UN and has as such exerted his efforts in vain.