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Daybreak: P.A. Staying the Course

Plus the Turkey-Egypt friendship, and more in the news

by
Marc Tracy
September 19, 2011
A protest in the West Bank this weekend.(Abbas Momani/AFP/Getty Images)
A protest in the West Bank this weekend.(Abbas Momani/AFP/Getty Images)

• The Palestinian Authority insisted that going to the U.N. Security Council was its best option. Western diplomats semi-privately argue that is it is better than the General Assembly because it will take a lot longer. And much could happen still. [NYT]

• President Abbas explicitly ruled out an independent Palestine in the immediate future. “We are going to the United Nations to attain full membership,” he said. “Let’s not exaggerate.” [CNN]

• The U.S. energy secretary and an Iranian counterpart had fierce words at the opening of a new International Atomic Energy Ageny session. [AP/WP]

• Turkey’s goals include a new alliance with Egypt that would help isolate Israel and Syria, said its foreign minister. [NYT]

• Friedman berates Bibi. Squint, and you can see the outlines of the (less controversial part of the) Walt/Mearsheimer argument about the Israel Lobby. [NYT]

• The two remaining hikers in Iran—who were to be released, then not, then to have their sentences commuted—are still in jail, for now, because the judge is on vacation, or something. [WP]

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.