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Thu, Sept 15, 2011 | Debka.com

Abbas to go through with UN Statehood Bid

A DebkaFile report: “In sharp U-turn, Palestinians to go through with UN Security Council statehood bid”

Thursday, Sept. 15, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas went back on his assurance 24 hours earlier to Saudi, European and Egyptian officials and decided to go through with his application to the UN Security Council on Sept. 23 for the admission of a Palestinian state to the world body. This was a pointed rebuff to the Obama administration after the White House sent two envoys, senior presidential Middle East adviser Dennis Ross and peace talks adviser David Hale, with an offer to renew US ties with the Palestinian leader if he recalled the application.

After the Palestinians announced their reversal, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu decided Thursday he would lead the Israeli delegation to the UN General Assembly and represent Israel in the debate on the Palestinian application for UN acceptance of their statehood.

Abbas has clearly followed the lead of Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan who Tuesday urged the Arab League to back the Palestinian statehood bid at the UN and continued to escalate his confrontational stance against Israel. Abbas was offered Turkish diplomatic and financial aid to help the PA weather its financial crisis if the Palestinians agreed to line up behind Ankara.

DEBKAfile’s sources warn that with 7 days to go, this may not be the last Palestinian change of mind.

Debkafile reported Wednesday, Sept. 14 that Mahmoud Abbas had notified Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and European Union foreign executive Catherine Ashton in Cairo he had backed off his UN Security Council bid and even considering watering down his application to the UN General Assembly – possibly by dropping the “state within 1967 borders” provision from the text.

Abbas said he would make his final decision known in a public address from Ramallah Friday, Sept 16 before flying to New York to join world leaders at the UN General Assembly’s 66th session which began Tuesday.