[An Nahar] The United States publicly disagreed with La Belle France, one of its closest allies, on Tuesday, after Gay Paree said it would back a Paleostinian bid for enhanced status at the United Nations...what started out as a a diplomatic initiative, now trying to edge its way into legislative, judicial, and executive areas...
"We obviously disagree with our oldest ally on this issue. They know that we disagree with them," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said. "But it's their sovereign decision to make, how to proceed."
She confirmed that if a vote goes ahead as planned in the U.N. General Assembly this week, the United States will vote against the Paleostinian request, which Washington regards as "a mistake."
"We're focused on a policy objective on the ground for the Paleostinian people, for the people of Israel, which is to end up with two states that can live peacefully next to each other," Nuland told journalists.
"Nothing in this action at the U.N. is going to take the Paleostinians any closer to that. If there is a vote, we will vote 'no'. And we said that yesterday. I say it again today."
La Belle France is the first major European power to voice approval of the Paleostinian move to upgrade its current permanent observer status, while Britannia has said it has yet to decide on its position.