The unilateral initiative by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the U.N. General Assembly, at the completion of which Palestine will be recognized as a nonmember observer state, allows the West, or at least part of the West led by France, to rectify a past wrong: After having criticized Hamas and embraced Israel (perhaps a bit more than planned), it is time to get back in line and support the Palestinian Authority and its initiatives. What about the spirit of the Oslo Accords? Approval of the one-sided Palestinian bid would only push Oslo further away. All we are left with is the spirit. It is important to understand that Abbas' move is futile, as far as Israel is concerned. It was wrong for Jerusalem to try to confront Abbas at the U.N. General Assembly. After all, it was only a year ago that then French President Nicolas Sarkozy explained to Abbas that efforts to gain Palestinian membership in the U.N. Security Council were hopeless. Sarkozy even advised Abbas what he should do. It is no wonder that Sarkozy's successor, François Hollande, is leading Western support of the current bid (along with Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway and even Britain, with certain caveats). The Palestinians and Abbas enjoy a home court advantage in the U.N. General Assembly. That is why Israel's efforts initially to prevent and ultimately to soften the resolution are odd. But Abbas should be fully aware of the implications of this move. It is safe to assume that these implications, and there will be implications, will prompt Abbas to continue complaining that Israel is weakening him. He must admit that this move, today, contributes to this greatly. Nov. 29, 1947, was a day of celebration for Israelis. On this day, the General Assembly began the process that saw the establishment of the State of Israel. But the Palestinians marked this date annually as a day of solidarity for their people. The decades-long conflict between these two peoples, Palestinians and Jews, revolves not only on geography, but also on certain dates. I recommend looking up the chronology of our shared history. Israel must delegitimize this unilateral move. Just as it did in Operation Pillar of Defense, Israel must act rationally. Hamas fires rockets from the Gaza Strip and Abbas fires unilateral initiatives from the West Bank. In both cases, these things aren't bringing us closer to peace. The big question is what will happen the next day. What will the Palestinian Authority do with its new status as a state? There is no question that the PA will advance in the U.N., and will gain access to various international agencies and organizations. More disconcerting is the idea that the PA could eventually gain access to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, where it could sue Israeli officials for actions in the West Bank. But Abbas has to keep in mind that this move comes with a cost. Instead of whining, he will have to be responsible for the Gaza Strip as well. The International Court of Justice would have to work three shifts a day to try Hamas' leaders, should anyone come forward to sue them. It is safe to assume that if Abbas seeks to take us to The Hague, we will find ourselves mired in unending litigation and legal confrontations, which will push us, and them, further and further from the desired peace agreement. But what we should really be worried about, more than Abbas' unilateral initiative, is the demographic shift washing over our allies in the West. London needed to decide whether to support Abbas while studying and considering the opinion of the British public, which largely supports the Palestinian narrative. France, where the Muslim population is rapidly growing and becoming ever more involved in politics, has also chosen a side, even though events in Egypt and Syria should concern Paris far more than Abbas' fate. Even Australia, our close ally, needs to consider various interests since it is not a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. We can't really claim to be alone in the General Assembly when we have the U.S. and Canada, as well as Germany as the European representative, on our side. It is a shame that the Chinese refused to heed the recommendations of our ambassador in Beijing. Palestine has had observer status in the U.N. as a non-state entity since 1974. There is no doubt that today the Palestinians are upgrading their status. But ultimately, Abbas and his initiative will only bring frustration to his people, even worse than the frustration they feel today. In October 2011, Sarkozy supported the Palestinian bid to become a member of UNESCO. Now Hollande is leading the West into supporting a Palestinian upgrade. But the significant achievement that the Palestinians seek the declaration of a state will paradoxically come not from France, not from the Third World, not from the Arab world and not from the General Assembly, but only from Israel. Speaking of Israel, isn't it time for the moderate Abbas to recognize Israel's existence as a Jewish state? That is, after he finishes all his important business in New York.
