Members of Congress, especially those in the Republican majority, are introducing a series of bills meant to help Israel in the face of the upcoming Palestinian statehood bid at the U.N. General Assembly.
These initiatives by members of Congress come two weeks before the Palestinian leadership plans to attempt to gain U.N. recognition for an independent Palestinian state. The first of these bills is slated for Tuesday's Congressional agenda. Senior Republican representative Joe Walsh, who represents Illinois's 8th district, north of Chicago, plans to submit legislation expressing U.S. support for a unilateral Israeli annexation of the West Bank in response to a unilateral Palestinian statehood bid. According to Walsh, 40 members of Congress are expected to sign the bill and see it through the ratification process.
The Walsh bill comes on the heels of a visit to Israel last week sponsored by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), during which Walsh met MK Danny Danon (Likud), who submitted a similar proposed law to the Knesset. Walsh told Danon he would introduce the bill in Congress in an effort to force the U.S. to back Israel should it choose to annex the West Bank and refrain from pressuring it about the move.
Putting financial pressure on the U.N.
Republican Lillian Ross of Florida is set to introduce another bill in Congress this week. Her proposed law would require the U.S. to stop funding the U.N. should the U.N. approve Palestinian statehood.
The U.S. has been the largest contributor of U.N. funds since the body was established after World War II. Twenty percent of the U.N.'s budget is provided by American taxpayers. The goal of Ross's proposed law is to apply economic pressure to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon so that he will stymie the unilateral Palestinian bid.
As head of the U.N., the secretary-general has significant influence on votes and procedures in the General Assembly, and it is believed that Ban can persuade the Palestinians to revoke their statehood bid.
Mahmoud Abbas: This is a last resort
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the Fatah Revolutionary Council on Sunday saying that the Palestinians "knocked on all doors looking for a way to renew the peace talks [with Israel], which were our first, second and third options."
Abbas said that the PA was willing to listen to any proposal for renewing talks with Israel, and reiterated his position that the talks must be based on a complete cessation of settlement construction, as well as Israel's acceptance of the 1967 lines as the borders of a future Palestinian state. Abbas also said that talks would have to be held according to a strict timetable.
Abbas pointed out that the purpose of the Palestinian statehood bid was not to isolate Israel, but to "delegitimize the occupation, which must come to an end."
Meanwhile, former British Prime Minister and Middle East envoy of the Quartet, Tony Blair, is scheduled to meet Israeli and Palestinian officials this week, in an attempt to bring them back to the negotiation table, and prevent a confrontation between the two sides following a Palestinian statehood bid this month.
