Why U.S. Should Back Palestinian Statehood at U.N.

It’s not every day that you see a rigorous case for Palestinian statehood in The New Republic. But in his essay today, John J. Judis argues that the U.S. should stand up for Palestine’s right to self-determination at the U.N. While many have objected to the Palestinians circumventing negotiations with Israel, Judis contends that Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly demonstrated that he’s unwilling to negotiate in good faith, most recently by continuing construction on the West Bank. The writer compares this move to “pouring gasoline on a fire you have promised to put out.” He says he knows it’s unlikely that the Obama administration will support Palestinians at the U.N., and he blames this mostly on political pressure from GOP presidential candidates: “That bears how American politics have become—and not just on debts and the deficit.”