Barack Obama, the US president, is in Europe this week, and he has a very important task on his agenda. He will be trying to persuade European leaders not to support a UN declaration of Palestinian statehood in September.

Obama has said he will not support a UN declaration of an independent Palestinian state. Now he has to get the Europeans on his side. But the proposal is already gaining support - and Israel and the US risk being left out in the cold. 

Inside Story, with presenter Shiulie Gosh, discusses with Reuel Marc Gerecht, a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defence of Democracy and former Middle East specialist at the CIA; Patrick Seale, the author of Struggle for Arab Independence; and Ezzedine Choukri Fishere, a professor of international politics at the American University in Cairo.

This episode of Inside Story aired from Wednesday, May 25, 2011.