Critics fault Israel government approach to Palestinian U.N. bid

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By Edmund Sanders, Los Angeles Times

September 8, 2011, 4:55 p.m.
Reporting from Jerusalem—

Heading toward a potential Mideast game-changer at the United Nations this month, Israel's government is facing questions at home about whether it could have done more to block the Palestinians' planned statehood bid.

Critics say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to respond aggressively enough to either lure Palestinians back into peace talks or pressure them to abandon the U.N. initiative, in which Palestinians are expected to seek full membership in the international body or, if that fails, an upgraded status from observer "entity" to nonmember "state."

In the face of one of the Palestinians' most aggressive diplomatic moves to date, Israel's response has appeared unfocused and at times contradictory, critics complain.

"What strategy?" popular Israel Radio political commentator Yaron Deckel asked in an interview. "You mean lack of strategy. Israel is facing a clear defeat. There is no chance now. Due to the domestic political considerations of the right wing, the government was too afraid to take any risks."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-israel-statehood-strategy-20110909,0,5632676.story