Israel key obstacle in effort to recognize Palestine

HEBRON, West Bank -- The Palestinians will be able to make a strong case that they have built the foundations of a nation when they ask the U.N. this week to recognize an independent Palestine in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, the lands Israel occupied in 1967.

In the West Bank, they've been laying the infrastructure piece by piece, including widely praised systems of public finance and banking and a U.S.-trained security force. They've amassed many of the trappings of independence, from their own Internet domain and international dialing code to a flag, an anthem and a national soccer team.

But their U.N. bid also highlights a simple, bitter reality: They cannot establish an actual state without Israel's blessing, even if the Security Council or a majority of General Assembly members recognize Palestine in pre-1967 borders.

Israel stands firm

Israel has kept a tight grip on the occupied lands, even while engaging in sporadic talks -- frozen since late 2008 -- on the terms of Palestinian statehood. It has annexed east Jerusalem, enforces a border blockade of Hamas-ruled Gaza and retains ultimate say in the West Bank, despite limited self-rule there by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' government.

Israel remains the final arbiter for some 4 million Palestinians who often can't travel, trade or even build homes without Israeli permission. Ambitious plans can't advance, such as building an international airport in the West Bank or issuing a currency, the Palestine pound, to replace the Israeli shekel.

Many Palestinians are losing hope, saying they've tried everything to dislodge Israel's occupation -- negotiations, a violent uprising, nonviolent protests.

Abbas' U.N. bid grew from the same desperation.

The Palestinian leader believes there's no point in negotiating with Benjamin Netanyahu because the Israeli leader seems unwilling to go as far as some previous Israeli leaders did -- contemplating a state in the pre-1967 borders, with some adjustments and land swaps to allow Israel to keep a few of the largest Jewish settlements closest to the old armistice line.

"Palestine" won't get full U.N. membership since only the Security Council could bestow such a status and the U.S. has said it would use its veto. As a lesser option, the General Assembly would likely accept Palestine as a nonmember observer state.