Palestinians must be supported in their bid for UN status upgrade.

The Palestinians have decided to renew a bid to upgrade their status at the United Nations, a move which could strengthen their statehood claims. Palestinians are currently listed as a UN observer ‘entity’ with no voting rights and Foreign Minister Riyad Al Malki says they will ask to be made a non-member observer state at the UN General Assembly next month. The plan is likely to succeed because a simple majority vote in the 193-member General Assembly is enough to win non-member observer status, bypassing the Security Council, where the US, Israel’s closest ally, has veto power. With the peace process in tatters, the plan to go to the UN is a wise move.

The announcement of the Palestinian plan comes after an announcement by a British diplomat that international support for the Jewish state is eroding due to the settlement expansion in the West Bank and continued restrictions on Gaza. Matthew Gould, the British ambassador spoke especially of his own country, where he said there was growing concern over the lack of the peace process. “Israelis might wake up in 10 years’ time and find out that the level of understanding in the international community has suddenly changed, and that patience for continuing the status quo has reduced,” he said. He also said Israel was now being seen as Goliath against the Palestinians as David.

Coming from a staunch ally of Israel, Gould’s statement sends an ominous warning, which the international community should take note. But Israeli officials dismissed the statement saying “it does not describe anything near reality”. It’s a measure of Israel’s haughtiness that it pays scant respect to opinions from its own allies, and is determined that there is no going back from aggression and confiscation of Palestinian land.

Arab Spring also has worked to the advantage of Israel so far. The Spring has weakened Arab ranks and the Palestinian issue has been pushed to the background as several Arab rulers worry about the future of their own regimes. Unity is evading Palestinians too, with Fatah-Hamas differences as deep as ever. If Israel thinks that it has no peace partner and that the status quo can be made a permanent reality, the Jewish state is just exploiting the reality on the ground. Arab states too need to share the blame for the current stalemate.

In this scenario, the decision to go to the UN needs international support. It will bring the Middle East issue back to the headlines. Even if Palestinian side is weakened, there is a need to pile pressure on Israel. The Jewish state should not be allowed to transform its atrocities into a virtue and make the weakness of its enemy a justification for aggression.