Israel's isolation: Whose fault is it?

With a contentious U.N. debate on Palestinian statehood looming, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be feeling lonely this week

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be partially to blame for his nation's increasing isolation, but others say President Obama is at fault, too.
(Image credit: Ariel Schalit/Xinhua Press/Corbis)

Israel seems to be feeling awfully lonely these days. For starters, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is grabbing headlines — and international support — with his contentious plan to ask the United Nations this week to recognize Palestinian statehood. (President Obama is threatening a U.S. veto in the event of a Security Council vote, though the Palestinians could still push the "Vatican option" — a vote before the veto-less General Assembly that would make Palestine a permanent non-member state, like the Holy See.) Regardless of the outcome, the high-stakes showdown over Palestinian statehood is shining a light on international impatience with Mideast peace talks, and the whole spectacle threatens to worsen Israel's already fraying relations with Turkey and Egypt, rare allies in the Muslim world. Who's to blame for Israel suddenly feeling so isolated?

1. Arabs: Israel's enemies want to destroy it.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us