The Foreign Ministry is focusing efforts on trying to block the Palestinian plan to win UN recognition for an independent state in September. Israel’s chance of winning a majority among the 192 UN members state is miniscule, as the 116 states comprising the Non-Aligned movement tend to vote together and are likely to vote in favor of a Palestinian state. It is estimated that the large majority of non-Western nations among the remaining 76 states will also vote in favor of the Palestinian bid, which leaves Israel with a little over 40 states whose vote is still open.
The Foreign Ministry is currently fighting to win support among those states and is targeting the European Union in particular. "The battle isn’t for the majority but for legitimacy," a state official said. "It always comes back down to Europe."
Despite their small electoral power, European states have enormous influence in the international area. The Foreign Ministry is focusing on getting the support of five states: Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Spain.
Israel has already struck two important diplomatic achievements on this score: German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi have announced they will oppose unilateral recognition of Palestine. France and Britain have yet to make their stand on the issue. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Paris and London earlier this month in an effort to get their support.
Spain’s stance is even more ambiguous. On the one hand, Madrid has close ties with Latin America which started the wave of recognition, which may affect its vote. However, state officials believe Spain will not break from the other four major European powers should they present a united front. "There is no doubt that opposition from the major states to unilateral steps will affect other countries," a senior official at the Foreign Ministry said.