Russia will support the Palestinian Authority's appeal to the United Nations later this month for recognition of an independent Palestinian state, Russian Ambassador to the U.N. Vitaly Churkin said in an official announcement Monday. Russia, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, joins fellow member China in its recognition of a Palestinian state. To date, about 125 countries have reportedly recognized a "State of Palestine." "We will endorse any proposals submitted by the Palestinians," Churkin said in an interview with news channel "Russia 24," according to Russian news agency Interfax. He added, however, that the Russians are not pushing the Palestinians toward anything. "We say, no matter what you decide, we will back you," Churkin said. "This is a matter of your political and diplomatic strategy whether you want to do anything, and it's up to you to decide what you want to do at the U.N." Taking a different tone toward the Palestinian bid at the U.N., U.S. President Barack Obama told DPA's Spanish-language service on Monday that the Palestinian move is a "distraction" and stressed that the U.S. would "strongly" oppose the statehood bid as it is "counterproductive." "If this came to the Security Council we would object very strongly, precisely because we think it would be counterproductive, we don't think that it would actually lead to the outcome that we want, which is a two state solution," Obama said, according to DPA. "What we've said is that going to the UN is a distraction, does not solve the problem," he added. "This issue is only gonna be resolved by Israelis and Palestinians agreeing to something." Reiterating the U.S. stance that both sides should return to negotiations, Obama said, "At the General Assembly level, we have less influence over the process, we will continue to talk with all parties concerned to try to make sure that any action that takes place in New York can lead to the parties getting back to the negotiating table as opposed to pushing them further apart." Danino: Police expect nationwide demonstrations ahead of opening U.N. discussions Meanwhile, the Israel Police is bracing for all possible scenarios ahead of the U.N. General Assembly's opening session next week. Police Commissioner Maj. Gen. Yohanan Danino predicted that there will be nationwide demonstrations in support of the Palestinians leading up to the statehood bid. Danino discussed the issue during a speech at the 11th World Summit on Counter-Terrorism convened by the Institute for Counter Terrorism at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, earlier this week. September poses a new kind of challenge,' Danino said at the summit. "Every incident such as this is has explosive potential and the police must plan out its moves wisely, Danino added. He went on to say that, in the event of demonstrations, he has instructed "the police to behave in the same way they behaved toward the people living in [housing protest] tents in Tel Aviv - with restraint and calm control, with sensitivity and tolerance toward the demonstrators while encouraging and maintaining channels of communication in order to avoid an escalation." He stressed, however, that, "All police officers and commanders know, as do the demonstrators themselves, that any exception, any violation of the law, will immediately be addressed by the Israel Police with no compromises." Deputy Prime Minister and Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe (Bogey) Ya'alon, who also addressed the summit, commented on the Palestinian statehood bid at the U.N. on Sept. 20, as well, saying Israel will have to adopt a new reality, "if the Palestinians continue with their bid, violate the Oslo Accords and consider themselves a country, intensify their political struggle against Israel and allow more violence." Ya'alon said Israel is concerned that the Palestinian move at the U.N. would spawn "a weak and failing entity on our doorstep that may soon fall to Hamas." He added, "The adoption of a new policy by Israel is not a means of punishment but an inevitable adjustment to a new situation, in which it may become clear to us that our partner is unwilling to respect agreements, unwilling to accept us as a Jewish state, unwilling to accept less than what has already been given by the international community, and insists that we accept a new reality imposed on us through unilateral moves by the Palestinians, with whom we will have no agreements." Meanwhile, as part of Israel's ongoing behind-the-scene efforts to prevent the Palestinian unilateral declaration of statehood at the U.N., President Shimon Peres has reportedly been assisting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in attempts to revive peace talks with the Palestinians. Peres recently met with Quartet envoy to the Middle East Tony Blair and U.S. President Barack Obama's Middle East adviser Dennis Ross to discuss ways to return to the negotiating table.
