A position paper by Israel’s foreign ministry proposes “toppling” President Mahmoud Abbas if Palestine’s bid for UN non-member state status is approved. The internal document says it is “the only option” if deterrence efforts do not succeed, even though Israel “would have to pay the consequences”. Mr Abbas will submit a request to the UN General Assembly on 29 November. Israel and the US strongly oppose the move, saying an independent state can only be achieved through negotiations. A Palestinian bid to join the UN as a full member state in 2011 failed because of a lack of support at the Security Council. Currently, the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), the umbrella group which represents most Palestinian factions and conducts negotiations with Israel, only has “permanent observer” status at the UN. Mr Abbas, who is chairman of the PLO and president of the Palestinian Authority, wants Palestine to be admitted as a non-member observer state based on the boundaries which existed before Israel occupied the the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip during the 1967 war. The Israeli position paper is intended for use in internal discussions and has not been endorsed by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
