The UN Security Council has referred the application for full membership of the United Nations for a state of Palestine to a competent body for examination. There were no objections to this on Monday in the most powerful UN body in New York. The committee is to deal with the application immediately. The rather formal step of re-examining the application from 2011 is at least considered a stage victory for the Palestinians. However, it is considered rather unlikely that the United States – Israel’s closest ally with veto power in the Security Council – would ultimately approve the application. …