↪ Britain ready to back Palestinian statehood at UN | World news | guardian.co.uk

Don't welcome this move by Britain — a source of so much of the modern Middle East's woes — they will only back the Palestinians if they jettison the rights other nations have to pursue war criminals:

On Monday night, the government signalled it would change tack and vote yes if the Palestinians modified their application, which is to be debated by the UN general assembly in New York later this week. As a "non-member state", Palestine would have the same status as the Vatican.

Whitehall officials said the Palestinians were now being asked to refrain from applying for membership of the international criminal court or the international court of justice, which could both be used to pursue war crimes charges or other legal claims against Israel.

Abbas is also being asked to commit to an immediate resumption of peace talks "without preconditions" with Israel. The third condition is that the general assembly's resolution does not require the UN security council to follow suit.

Update: France looks like it will recognize Palestine, apparently without condition.

> Miliband to call for coalition of consent with Islamic world - Times Online - Make up your mind: "David Miliband will reach out to Muslim states today, placing the Iraq war alongside the Crusades and colonialism in a list of “prejudices that British history generates”. Having previously apologised for using the phrase War on Terror, the Foreign Secretary will acknowledge the damage that the Iraq war caused to Britain’s standing. “The invasion of Iraq, and its aftermath, aroused a sense of bitterness, distrust and resentment,” he will say as he appeals for a “new coalition of consent” between the West and the Islamic world. Although he will not apologise for voting for the war in 2003, he will say that it is “well to be clear” about how Britain is viewed as a consequence of its decision to back George Bush, adding that it reinforces a prejudiced view created by British history."

Automatically posted links for January 20th through January 21st:

• al-Qaida Solicits Questions Online - Questions include "why haven't you opened a new front in Egypt" and more depressing idiocy


• Measuring liberty | When freedom stumbles | Economist.com - Look at the charts: in 1982 Egypt was "partly free," now it is "not free"


• Economics focus | Selling sex | Economist.com - Interesting article on the economics of prostitution


• HAMAS ASKS EGYPT TO REOPEN RAFAH BORDER - Hamas puts Cairo on the spot


• Translating the Party of God into English - Quilty reviews Hizbullah in translation


• Review: Loaded Dice by Neill Lochery - Debunking of idea that UK Foreign Office is pro-Arab or anti-Israel


• The rise and decline of London as a pan-Arab media hub - Media critic Najm Jarrah


• An Israeli Law for Censorship of Web Comments - Elijah points to a bill in the Knesset that would enable libel laws for web comments


• Why does Johnny come marching homeless? - How Iraq veterans with psychological problems end up homeless


• Those troublesome engineers « Kafr al-Hanadwa - SP has a good post on why engineers are over-represented in Islamist groups

Automatically posted links for November 25th:

• Angry Arab on Eric's Hobsbawm's memoirs - "I have no emotional obligation to the practices of an ancestral religion and even less to the small, militarist, culturally disappointing and politically aggressive nation-state which asks for my solidarity on racial grounds."


• "If Annapolis fails, smash me," souvenir mug says - Brillant! I want one!


• King Hussein of Jordan | From the desert he rose | Economist.com - Review of Avi Schlaim's biography of King Hussein. Sounds rather too positive, but he was certainly an interesting man


• The absurd world of Martin Amis | Comment | The Observer - Funnyman Chris Morris slams into Amis, Hitchens


• The Political Compass - Pretty decent test of political values...