[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Skybird

Headline loosely translates into "Palestinians storm into dead end with pedal pressed to the metal". Article says that what separates poltical pros from wannabes just having good intentions is that they are aware of the longterm consequences, and these are that many projects also supported by the UNESCO and that maybe are more important, cannot be payed for anymore - which will sooner or later backfire against the Palestinians. It says also that it was stupid to bring Obama into a situation where he needed to show strength due to legal obligations he cannot escape, althiugh he probbaly does not want it, and that Europe showed a display of a union ripped apart and being totally impotent to achieve anything in the Middle East. Finally it relativizes the gains made by the Palestinians, since effectively they haven't gained anything, and also have given up the option to imply diplomatic pressure on Israel by threatening what they did right now. Now that they have done it, they cannot threaten with it anymore. Problem is: doing it did not gain them anything. The threat maybe was not too potent anyway, but it was more than what they got now. If they would have accepted a status of observer, like the EU accepts at the UNESCO, they also would have gotten what they had gotten now - but without the likely future scenario that those who will suffer due to the US not paying anymore sooner or later will remember whom they have to thank for for their loss.

I hope the US does not stop poayments just for some months, but insist on stopping them for as long as the UNESCO reverses its (illegal anyhow) decision. The US should not change its legislation to allow itself to pay anymore. I wqish my country would do something similiar. But that chance is almost zero.

Cheers Sky

Originally Posted by August

I'm not disagreeing with you Skybird, just pointing out that our support of Israel does not exist because of Jewish lobbying, it is multi-ethnic.

Much the same as here in the UK but I'm unaware of why we abstained