Iran Hysteria: 'Israel wants US to attack first'

While the Arab Spring has brought winds of positive change, the destiny of the whole region now hangs on the issue of Palestine, insists politician Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian MP and the president of the Palestinian National Initiative. ­Currently, the Palestinian bid for statehood is deadlocked with the US obstructing a UN Security Council vote on the issue. America's pressure appears to be bearing fruit -- on the other hand, European governments cannot be seen to be going against their own people, whose sympathies lie with Palestine. Even if a Security Council vote goes ahead, the Palestinian bid is certain not to get the necessary two-thirds it needs to pass, because of "the US being capable of pressuring countries, Israel being able to pressure world leaders, and because of the hypocrisy of Western politics," Barghouti says. "They speak about the freedom of the Syrian people and respect for human rights in Libya, but they fail to recognize that this is also needed for Palestine," says the Palestinian politician. Mustafa Barghouti believes the Israelis are very concerned that if Palestine becomes an equal partner on the international stage, it will assume the right to appeal to the International Criminal Court and "that is probably the main reason why they [Israelis] are trying to obstruct our membership in the UN. Why? Because they know they've committed war crimes and many of their army officers have committed crimes against humanity." Source