ISRAELI DIPLOMATS will meet Irish foreign ministry officials in Dublin later this month as part of a diplomatic drive by Israel to persuade as many countries as possible to vote against a Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations, expected in September.
The United States informed Palestinian officials last week that Washington would veto a motion at the UN security council calling for Palestine to be accepted as a UN member state. US officials told Palestinian representatives that the only way to achieve an independent state was via bilateral negotiations with Israel.
A large majority is assured if, as expected, the issue is referred to the UN general assembly, with developing and non-aligned states expected to overwhelmingly back recognition.
However, Israel seeks to muster support among as many democratic states as possible, believing a “critical minority” opposing the resolution would take away the moral victory from the Palestinians.
The 27 European Union states have been targeted as the key battleground in Israel’s diplomatic campaign.
Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu is currently in Italy, and will make separate trips to Romania and Bulgaria, and then to Poland and Hungary in the coming weeks to shore up support for Israel’s position.
Although Israel considers Ireland one of the EU states most likely to back Palestinian statehood, Israeli diplomatic officials told The Irish Times that there was hope that with a new Government and a new Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dublin might be willing to rethink its traditional Middle East policy.
Irish diplomatic sources said it was premature to expect a firm position from Dublin on the issue of a UN vote on Palestinian statehood. The sources said the wording of any motion would be carefully considered, along with the legal and political aspects, and the position of other EU member states, before a final decision was taken.
The Israeli Haaretz newspaper published foreign ministry cables sent to envoys abroad outlining the strategy for the campaign to build up opposition to UN recognition.
Ambassadors were ordered to lobby at the highest level possible, muster support from local Jewish communities, send the media articles against recognition and even ask for a visit from a top Israeli official if they think it would help.
All diplomatic leave was cancelled for the month of September and the envoys were instructed to report weekly to Jerusalem on what progress had been achieved. The strategy was not to give up on any country in advance, and to work to obtain a hearing with the highest possible officials.
The message to be hammered home was that a vote in favour of recognition would undermine Israel’s legitimacy and go against the principle that peace can only be achieved via direct peace talks.
