As
Israel
Faces
Palestinian UN
Bid, Leahy
Eyes Aid
Cut to Gaza
Flotilla Unit
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
August 16 --
Thirty five
days before
the
Palestinian
Authority has
said it will
ask for
statehood at
the UN, Israel
is
lobbying
nations large
and small to
vote against
the
Palestinian's
bid.
Washington-based
Ambassadors of
small
countries have
been taken
on trips to
Israel; the
country's
central bank
chief Stanley
Fischer
has handed a
lobbying
letter to Cote
d'Ivoire's
Alassane
Ouattara, a
former IMF
official who
is also
reportedly a
friend of
Fischer who
was recently
deemed too old
to face off
against
Christine
Lagarde to
head the IMF.
Meanwhile
Israel
faces problems
both in New
York and
Washington. At
the UN, the
extended
deadline from
the release of
the so-called
Palmer report
into the
killing aboard
last year's
Gaza flotilla
is a week
away,
with no sign
that an
apology
agreement with
Turkey will
cut it off.
Ban &
Barak on July
29, 2011,
Palmer report
not shown
In
Washington,
Senator
Patrick Leahy
is floating a
bill that
would restrict
US
military aid
to at least
three units of
Israel's armed
forces,
including the
navy unit
involved in
the Gaza
flotilla
incident. When
Ehud Barak
visited the
United States
late last
month -- click
here
for coverage
from Inner
City Press --
he tried to
cut Leahy off
at
the pass. But
Leahy's
proposal is
similar to
restrictions
on military
aid to Egypt,
Pakistan and
Jordan. We'll
have more on
this.
* * *
At
UN,
Ehud
Barak Tells
Press Assad
Killed 2000
& Lost
Legitimacy,
Says IHH Has
Gaza Flotilla
Blame
By
Matthew
Russell
Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
July
29 -- After
Israeli
Defense
Minister met
with UN
Secretary
General Ban
Ki-moon on
Friday, he
told the Press
he had
discussed “the
region.” Inner
City Press
asked him,
“Did you
discuss Syria
with the
Secretary
General?”
Barak
replied,
“I
mentioned the
fact that we
are watching
it. We do not
intend to be
an
influence on
what happens
there... We
cannot ignore,
what we see
there is
illegitimate
behavior --
Assad if using
weapons and
his
armed forces
against his
own citizens
in a way
that's caused
the loss
of two
thousand
lives. I
believe he has
lost his
legitimacy.”
Then
Barak
looked
at the
spokeswoman
for the
Israeli
Mission to the
UN and said he
was
being whisked
away by the
young lady.
She had not
called on
Inner City
Press which
has a follow
up questions
that will have
to wait for
next time.
Israel,
or
most
Israeli
politicians
and diplomats,
have
tried to say
little about
Syria,
thinking that
to attack
Assad would
only help him
domestically.
But Barak has
gone further.
Asked
about
the
Palmer report
on the nine
Turks killed
on last year's
Gaza flotilla,
Barak said it
is mostly the
fault of the
IHH, but he
hopes
something
can be agreed
between now
and August 20.
While
Barak
did
not say it
about the
Palestinians'
possible moves
in September,
a
long time
Permanent
Representative
gushed to
Inner City
Press that
even with a US
veto in the
Security
Council that
could block UN
membership,
Palestine
could ask for
statehood, or
what could be
called
statehood, in
the General
Assembly.
We'll be here
- watch
this site.
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in