Defense Minister Ehud Barak met in NYC with PA Prime Minister Salim Fayyad ahead of the UN General Assembly later this week as Israel continue’s efforts to prevent the PA (Palestinian Authority) from moving ahead with a unilateral declaration of statehood.

The meeting was reportedly quite short as many expected and no statements were released to the media by Barak, who one can only believe emerged unsurprised from the meeting as the PA continues to announce it will move ahead as planned, unwilling to entertain any postponements.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is set to meet with US President Barak Obama in New York ahead of the General Assembly as well, as Quartet nations are also brainstorming as they are seeking to prevent a total breakdown in the diplomatic process between Israel and the PA.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has traveled to Canada and the US to meet with officials as well, as high-level efforts to gain additional support for Israel’s position continue.

EU Commissioner of Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton has signaled the EU is yet to decide how it will vote on the PA move.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)