Palestine, observer state

On Friday, November 29, the General Assembly of the United Nations met in the UN headquarters in New York to vote on a proposition with far-reaching implications in the Middle East. By a tally of 138-9, the General Assembly voted to upgrade the status of the Palestinian Authority to non-member observer state.
The background of the conflict has its roots in the founding of the Israeli state in 1949. The state was given specific borders per a UN mandate, but after neighboring Arab states declared, and lost, wars to Israel, the state's modern borders were set. Since then, through a series of conflicts, the Palestinian National Authority was founded in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. After a 2006 split in the Authority, the West Bank has been ruled by a moderate Fatah party, while the Gaza Strip has been ruled by a more radical, more militant Hamas party.
The primary solution proposed by the international community is a two-state solution, where Palestine and Israel would exist side-by-side. I believe this is the best solution. The two-state could have been founded much earlier though, had political pressures not conspired against it. After the Six Day and Yom Kippur Wars, it was impossible for either side to back down. As a result, the peace process has been stalled repeatedly. In the years in between, Israel began building settlements in occupied Palestinian territory, despite international protests and illegality. In fact, in response to the UN vote, current Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu green-lighted the building of 3000 new settlements that would cut the West Bank in two. It seems to me that Netanyahu does not want peace. Every European country and even the United States has pressured Israel to abandon the settlements, but Netanyahu remains defiant. It is unfortunate that it is an election year in Israel, forcing his Likud Party further to the ultra-nationalist right. However, Palestine can now pursue membership in the International Criminal Court, which might bring Israeli war criminals to justice and halt the encroachment on Palestinian territory.
The way nations voted in the UN also tells a tale about Israel in the global community. Among the European and American countries that usually support Israel, only Canada, the United States and the Czech Republic voted with Israel. Stalwart Israeli supporter Germany abstained, while France voted for Palestine.
It is increasingly obvious that world public opinion has turned against Israel and its continued violation of the basic human rights of Palestinians. The State of Israel must allow the two state solution and peace process to succeed, and it can begin by halting the continued development projects in the West Bank.