TENSE

Frenzied Talks Ahead of Palestine Vote

Turkey backs U.N. statehood bid.

Frenzied negotiations are underway on all sides as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas prepares to ask the United Nations to recognize a Palestinian state. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the Arab League Tuesday that Palestinian statehood is “not an option, but an obligation,” and a high-ranking EU official told the same group that Europe has not reached any firm position on the vote. Israel is hoping diplomatic string-pulling can avert the vote, and the country’s U.N. ambassador said Israel knew it would have to “sit down with the Palestinian Authority in direct negotiations in order to bridge the problems.” The U.S. is expected to oppose the statehood proposal if it comes to a vote at the U.N., but fears other nations will circumvent its veto. Obama is pressing both sides to come to an agreement before the vote.