Con Coughlin today in the Telegraph UK published this:

Palestinians put the pressure on Israel

As the Palestinians step up their UN campaign for statehood, the pressure grows on Israel to accede to their request.

When the Palestinians lodge their formal application for statehood on Friday, they will simply be asking the United Nations to recognise the remarkable turnaround that has taken place in their political fortunes. It was not that long ago that the Palestinians’ desperate desire for independence was constantly being undermined through their association with violence and terrorism, and the endemic corruption that affected the few political institutions that they had.

And yet take a stroll around downtown Ramallah today and you will see a society so transformed that Kentucky Fried Chicken has just become the first American fast food chain to open a franchise in the Palestinian-run city. Corporate America is not in the habit of opening new branches in known war zones, so the fact that young Palestinians can now gorge themselves on deep-fried chicken represents a significant shift in the way they are perceived by the outside world.

The key to this transformation lies in the ambitious plan to create a Palestinian state that has been executed under the stewardship of Salam Fayyad, the Palestinian prime minister.

Read it all here

Then read the comments and you will see precisely how lost Europe is