If you are not aware, Palestine is set to ask the UN to become a “observer-state“.  Basically, this means that the UN will recognize Palestine as a sovereign nation.  This is pretty big news.  What’s even bigger is that it looks like former Israel Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will support the bid.  And that, my friends, is huge!  Here’s Olmert:

 I believe that the Palestinian request from the United Nations is congruent with the basic concept of the two-state solution. Therefore, I see no reason to oppose it. Once the United Nations will lay the foundation for this idea, we in Israel will have to engage in a serious process of negotiations, in order to agree on specific borders based on the 1967 lines, and resolve the other issues. It is time to give a hand to, and encourage, the moderate forces amongst the Palestinians. Abu-Mazen and Salam Fayyad need our help. It’s time to give it.

Israel is, of course, against such a bid.  They say it is because Palestine should negotiate for peace directly with Israel and not use the UN as an intermediary.  Really, though, it’s just because it will help tip the scales closer to balance in this unbelievably disproportionately balanced power struggle.

This bid also has the unconditional backing of many European states.  England also has said that they’d back it after receiving a promise from Palestine that it would not go to the International Criminal Court accusing Israel of war crimes.  Today could be a very important day for peace in the Middle East.