Israel campaigns to foil Palestinian application request for the status in the UN

Radio Israel reported this morning that the Israeli foreign ministry has launched an intensive diplomatic campaign in order to foil Palestinian efforts at the United Nations. The radio said that the Israeli foreign ministry circulated its directives to the Israeli missions all over the world urging them to intensify their diplomatic efforts in order to foil the Palestinian Authority's efforts at obtaining the status of a non-member observer state in the United Nations; and considered the Palestinian efforts as sufficient cause for Israel to fully or partially cancel all agreements signed with the PLO or take any further unilateral steps. The Israeli campaign focuses on the EU countries which have a relatively big influence on the Palestinian Authority because these countries provide big assistance to the Palestinians, according to a high profile source in the Israeli foreign ministry who was quoted by Haaretz. The same source told the Israeli newspaper that Israel urges world leaders to pressurize Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in order to dissuade him from going to the United Nations, although the Israeli cabinet and foreign ministry believe the chances to dissuade President Abbas are very meager. Israel fears that upgrading Palestine into the status of an observer in the UN allows Palestine to join membership in the International Criminal Court (ICC). Netanyahu considered this as a declaration of war which will prompt a forceful reaction from Israel in case the Palestinians lodge any criminal complaints against Israeli leaders at the ICC.