What is the right syntax for a conditional statement in .ASPX code?

I am trying to insert an if statement into the table row of a .aspx file, and it seems that no matter what I do, it simply will not work. It's like trying to answer a question that has no right answer. Here is the code in question:

 <%If Container.DataItem("ReportToolTipText") == 'Pending Approval' %>
 <td>
     <asp:LinkButton  ID="LinkButton1" runat="server" Font-Size="Medium" CommandName="Select" CommandArgument='<%# Eval("CertID") & "," &  Eval("ReportID") & "," & Eval("PUCOID") %> '  OnClientClick="javascript:alert('This report is not editable');" OnCommand="CertLink_Clicked"><%# Container.DataItem("CertID")%></asp:LinkButton> 
     <asp:Label ID="lblCertSortName" runat="server" Font-Size="Medium" Text='<%# Container.DataItem("ReportDisplaySortName")%>'></asp:Label>
 </td>
 <% Else%>
 <td>
     <asp:LinkButton ID="LinkButton1B" runat="server" Font-Size="Medium" CommandName="Select" CommandArgument='<%# Eval("CertID") & "," &  Eval("ReportID") & "," & Eval("PUCOID") %> '  OnCommand="CertLink_Clicked"><%# Container.DataItem("CertID")%></asp:LinkButton> 
     <asp:Label ID="lblCertSortNameB" runat="server" Font-Size="Medium" Text='<%# Container.DataItem("ReportDisplaySortName")%>'></asp:Label>    
 </td>
 <% End If%>

I cannot get this code to run because it seems that every variation on the if statement at the top triggers an error statement. Here's the error message I get when I try to execute the code above:

BC30451: 'Container' is not declared. It may be inaccessible due to its protection level.

So I tried to encase the Container.DataItem variable in brackets and percent symbols like so, leaving the other lines of code unchanged:

<%If <%# Container.DataItem("ReportToolTipText") #> == 'Pending Approval' %>

And when I did, I got this error:

BC30081: 'If' must end with a matching 'End If'.

What is it talking about? I have an End If at the bottom.

So I tried encasing the Container.DataItem variable in single quotation marks along with the brackets and percent signs like so, leaving the other lines of code unchanged:

<%If '<%#Container.DataItem("ReportToolTipText")%>' == 'Pending Approval' %>

And when I do that, I get this error:

BC30201: Expression expected.

Again, there is an expression in the if statement.

So I tried encasing the entire expression in parentheses, like so, leaving the other lines of code unchanged:

<% If ('<%#Container.DataItem("ReportToolTipText")%>' == 'Pending Approval') %>

And I got the exact same error message that I did last time:

BC30201: Expression expected.

So I tried preceding the Container.DataItem variable with just a single number sign, like so, leaving the other lines of code unchanged:

<% If (#Container.DataItem("ReportToolTipText") == 'Pending Approval') %>

For the third time in a row, I get this error message:

BC30201: Expression expected.

What am I doing wrong? Any assistance anyone can provide me would be greatly appreciated.