A Palestinian bid for indirect U.N. recognition of statehood has received vows of support from more than a dozen European nations and diplomats said this backing may deter Israel from harsh retaliation against the Palestinian Authority for seeking to upgrade its U.N. status.
A Palestinian resolution that would change its U.N. observer status from an "entity" to a "non-member state," implicitly recognizing the sovereign state of Palestine, is expected to pass easily in the 193-nation U.N. General Assembly later today. But Israel, the United States and a handful of other members are expected to vote against it.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has been leading the campaign to win support for the resolution, and some European governments have offered him their support after an eight-day conflict this month between Israel and Islamists in the Gaza Strip, who are pledged to Israel's destruction and oppose his efforts towards a negotiated peace.
The U.S. State Department said Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns and U.S. Mideast peace envoy David Hale travelled to New York yesterday in a last-ditch effort to get Abbas to reconsider.
"We've been clear, we've been consistent with the...
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