As the date of the General Assembly meeting approaches, the Chancellery is growing increasingly worried that Germany's stance might isolate it within the EU. Officials in the Foreign Ministry had already viewed Merkel's earlier commitment to Netanyahu as a mistake. Even Christoph Heusgen, Merkel's foreign-policy adviser, was reportedly unhappy about her statement.
The French are also upset about Germany's steps. One senior French diplomat has complained that the EU's role in the Middle East will be finished if Germany stands in the way of consensus. As he sees it, this would only cause Europe to unnecessarily give up any chances it might have to influence matters.
Berlin is still hoping the Palestinians will make a move and back the Ashton plan and that the almost 4 million people living in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip will settle for an observer status based on the Vatican model.
Whether any of this will happen is still an open question. As one diplomat in the Foreign Ministry fears, Germany might ultimately be forced to vote with the Israelis "against their better judgment."
The result would be a political vacuum left behind by a dithering and timid West. But, in the end, it can still be happy that the man who will be filling this vacuum will be named Erdogan and not Ahmadinejad.
Palestinian Statehood? A Litany of Diplomatic Failures in US and Europe - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News - International