EU Divided on Palestinian State UN Recognition

 　　As diplomats¹ scramble² to avert³ a Palestinian request for full United Nations recognition this week, the European Union remains⁴ deeply divided on the issue. Analysts⁵ say the differences may undermine Europe's efforts to play a meaningful role in the Middle East peace process.

　　As a member of the so-called Quartet of Middle East peace mediators, the European Union is a key player in current efforts to head off a statehood bid by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Two EU members, France and Britain, sit on the United Nations Security Council - the body that might vote on such an application.

　　The United States and Israel are strongly opposed to such a bid. The U.S. Congress has threatened to cut assistance to the Palestinians. But as the deadline looms⁶ ahead of Mr. Abbas' address before the U.N. on Friday, the EU has yet to clarify its position.

　　Addressing the U.N. General Assembly Wednesday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said the Palestinian claim for a state is legitimate⁷ - but he cautioned against the push for recognition now as a full U.N. member.  He also said that a veto in the Security Council could spark a cycle of violence in the Middle East.  He instead proposed an interim⁸ stage of offering the Palestinians a U.N. status of observer state.

　　Vivien Pertusot, head of the Brussels office for the French Institute of International Relations, is not surprised at the divisions among EU members.  "At this stage - and I don't think that it's going to happen - there is no EU common position. There are some strong divisions among the member states," Pertusot said.

　　Pertusot divides the EU's 27 members into four camps. Those favoring a Palestinian statehood bid include Spain, Sweden and Luxembourg. Germany, Italy and Czech Republic count among those against. There is also the "wait-and-see" camp. And the "uncertain camp" - which includes Britain and France.

　　In an interview on France 24 news channel, the Palestinian representative to the EU, Leila Shahid, said the EU divisions are reflected in other aspects of its foreign policy.

　　Shahid noted⁹ Europe also failed to adopt a common position on recognizing Kosovo and on the NATO air campaign in Libya. Still, she urged the EU to speak with a common voice at the U.N.

　　Those pushing for a European "yes" to Palestinian recognition at the U.N. offer a number of arguments, including that it would keep alive a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians.  By voting against, they argue, the Europeans may be accused of hypocrisy¹⁰ - for supporting popular Arab Spring uprisings but not Palestinian aspirations¹¹.  But others reject a unilateral declaration without a negotiated settlement first between the Israelis and Palestinians.

　　Rene Prange, a member of the nongovernmental group France Palestine Solidarite, believes France and other EU members are also concerned about damaging their relationship with Washington.

　　"I think they would like to have [a] Palestinian [state]…recognized but on the other hand, they don't want to have a struggle with the United States and on top of that the European Union doesn't speak as a single body," Prange said.

　　Still, if it comes to a vote, the French Institute's Pertusot believes France and Britain may well back a Palestinian statehood bid at the Security Council - with an important caveat¹².

　　"They're not going to support any kind of resolution. So it all depends on the wording of the resolution," Pertusot said.

　　Pertusot believes the EU's problem is partly a public relations one.  "What the EU hasn't been doing enough is to explain that the resolution is just one step and the peace process is going to continue after the resolution and that's where the EU can play a significant role," Pertusot said.

　　The European public appears more united. Two recent polls show the majority of Europeans favoring Palestinian statehood. One of the polls, by the BBC, also finds 45 percent of Americans favoring a statehood bid at the United Nations, compared to 36 percent against.

1 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 scramble   

v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料

参考例句：

• He broke his leg in his scramble down the wall.他爬墙摔断了腿。
• It was a long scramble to the top of the hill.到山顶须要爬登一段长路。

3 avert   

v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等)

参考例句：

• He managed to avert suspicion.他设法避嫌。
• I would do what I could to avert it.我会尽力去避免发生这种情况。

4 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

5 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

6 looms   

n.织布机( loom的名词复数 )v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的第三人称单数 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近

参考例句：

• All were busily engaged,men at their ploughs,women at their looms. 大家都很忙，男的耕田，女的织布。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The factory has twenty-five looms. 那家工厂有25台织布机。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

8 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 hypocrisy   

n.伪善，虚伪

参考例句：

• He railed against hypocrisy and greed.他痛斥伪善和贪婪的行为。
• He accused newspapers of hypocrisy in their treatment of the story.他指责了报纸在报道该新闻时的虚伪。

11 aspirations   

强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音

参考例句：

• I didn't realize you had political aspirations. 我没有意识到你有政治上的抱负。
• The new treaty embodies the aspirations of most nonaligned countries. 新条约体现了大多数不结盟国家的愿望。

12 caveat   

n.警告； 防止误解的说明

参考例句：

• I would offer a caveat for those who want to join me in the dual calling.为防止发生误解，我想对那些想要步我后尘的人提出警告。
• As I have written before,that's quite a caveat.正如我以前所写，那确实是个警告。