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"No unilateral actions like this are helpful in terms of establishing a long-run peace in the Middle East. Canada views the action as very regrettable and we will be opposing it at the United Nations."
Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, who will be accompanying Harper to New York, has already expressed Canada's opposition to the Palestinian plan. Canada supports a two-state solution to the conflict but only after a negotiated settlement between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
The Prime Minister is not expected to address the General Assembly, and will leave that duty to Baird the following week.
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said Friday he will ask the UN Security Council to endorse his people's statehood bid next week.
Abbas emphasized that he did not intend to isolate Israel. But the plan sets the UN stage for a diplomatic showdown. The United States has indicated it would veto the measure in the Security Council.
The Palestinians say they are turning to the UN after years of frustration with Israel. Any recognition would be symbolic, but the Palestinians hope the elevated stature would give them more clout in future negotiations with Israel.
"We don't want to raise expectations by saying we are going to come back with full independence," Abbas told Palestinian leaders. He said he was going to the United Nations to "ask the world to shoulder its responsibilities" by backing the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem.
Abbas urged the Palestinian people to refrain from violence, saying "anything other than peaceful moves will harm us and sabotage our endeavours."
Israel has mounted a full diplomatic counteroffensive to the Palestinian statehood bid, and will be looking to the Harper government - one of its most steadfast international allies - among others to thwart the Palestinian aspirations.
With files from the Associated Press
Harper, like 90% of the US political establishment, are going to be shocked at how sick and tired the citizens of the US and Canada are at their radical support for Zionist terrorists.
The clock is now running world-wide, and we know who is doing the "unilateral " actions, you shithead. It ain't the Palestinians.
It's YOU.