Humiliation is not a firm basis for stability

Israel’s response to the Palestinians’ new UN status is to deprive and humiliate which may maintain the status quo but will sabotage chances of long-term peace, writes Ian Buruma

PALESTINE is no longer an “entity”, but a state — or, to be precise, a non-member observer state of the UN, just like the Holy See. The Palestinian bid received the support of 138 member countries including Ireland (Germany, Britain, and 39 other countries abstained), while only seven, including the Marshall Islands, Palau, and Panama, joined the US and Israel in opposing it, leaving both more isolated than ever.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was furious; he called Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas a liar, and gave permission for 3,000 new Jewish homes to be constructed on occupied Palestinian territory. His foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman, had already threatened to crush the PA government on the West Bank if the UN vote went ahead.