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Source: http://www.meforum.org/2901/abbas-vs-obama
Abbas vs. Obama
(Middle East Quarterly) Steven J. Rosen - Having sidelined Barack Obama's peace initiative by refusing to return to the negotiations table without a priori Israeli concessions, the Palestinian leadership seeks to secure an international declaration of statehood at the next UN General Assembly session in September 2011. This "date certain" strategy, whereby its entitlement to a state will be fulfilled by the world powers, has long been preferred by the Palestinian leadership to any arduous, bilateral negotiation with Israel, which would require painful concessions. If Obama does veto a statehood resolution that has wide international support, he will be under pressure to offset this with fresh gestures toward the Palestinians. Obama's dilemma is that, either way, the refusal to negotiate will be rewarded. And negotiation of the issues between the Palestinians and the Israelis will still be nowhere in sight. The writer served for 23 years as a senior official of AIPAC.