Hi Mags,
I think it is a fairly wet comment without a timeline and handcuffs fixed to it. It gives all the advantage to Israel and permits them to keep their status quo. Stick the guarantee of statehood at the end of 12 months regardless of an agreement with Israel, and maybe Netanyahu will negotiate seriously.
One other point: if the vote is unimportant - romantic or symbollic or whatever Zakaria says - do you think the US and Israel would be doing all they can to prevent it from occurring? Of course not. It is very important for the US, in particular: it reveals it as a deeply partisan player in the Middle East and seriously jeopardises US policy in the region. That's an important fact which all the players know. Except Zakaria.
Hopefully, the Palestinians will be able to use US alarm as leverage in getting the kind of negotiations they wish for. The Arab Spring is at stake. The US runs the risk of losing its influence in the region altogether.
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