Dinner at the Sri Lankan Ambassador's

View from the Ambassador's Residence

One of my closest friends in UN circles is the Sri Lankan UN Ambassador, Palitha Kohona. Last Friday he invited a few friends and I over for dinner. Palitha, Chair of the UN's Special Committee to Investigate Israeli Practices, added his two cents to the Norwegian Ambassador's proposal from the prior evening. "The big problem with that proposal is that the West Bank was allocated largely as a Palestinian Territory at one point. However, since then, Israeli occupation has increased to around 1.3 million in the West Bank." Israeli jurisdiction and regional council extends to about 42 percent, according to the Israeli NGO B'Tselem. "It would be next to impossible to ask the Jews to leave. Best to integrate them into the West Bank." More and more, I'm learning the value of meticulous attention to detail when international deals are concerned. One provision, or the lack thereof, can make or break an entire deal.

I discovered that the fans behind me are a symbol of royalty, whereas the crossed spears are a sign of strength.