Israel at center of int'l diplomatic storm

J-Post wrote:

The Palestinian Authority's decision to internationalize their conflict with Israel seems to be paying off as Israel is coming under diplomatic pressure on several fronts at the same time.

The Vatican decision to recognize Palestine as a state, an expected French-sponsored resolution to the United Nations Security Council, and the possible expulsion of Israel from FIFA, the international soccer federation, are creating the sense that Israel is losing the diplomatic battle.

“There is a sense of erosion,” a senior Israeli official told The Media Line on condition of anonymity.

“We see more and more countries and organizations buying into the unilateral logic of the Palestinians.”

The latest decision by the Vatican to sign a treaty with the state of Palestine, concerning the Holy See’s activities in the Palestinian Authority, comes before a weekend meeting between the Pope and the head of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas.

It is an important symbolic move by the leader of the world’s 1.2 billion Catholics.

At the same time, the Palestinians have been campaigning in FIFA, the international football federation, to suspend Israel’s membership or to level sanctions on Israel for limiting the free movement of Palestinian soccer players and refusing them permission to travel abroad.

The 200 national leagues in FIFA are expected to vote on the resolution in the coming weeks.

All of this is expected to lead to growing international pressure on Israel, but it could also end up backfiring and encouraging Palestinians to stay away from the negotiating table.