The rock has been hurled into the lake and now the ripples are spreading.

The UK and several other Western countries recognising a Palestinian state was never likely to be an action without consequences.

So what happens next? Well, firstly, a surge of angry rhetoric from across the Israeli political spectrum, almost all of whom described this as a victory for Hamas.

Gaza latest: Countries boycott French two-state solution summit

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it "an absurd prize for terrorism" while Yair Lapid, leader of the opposition, described recognition as "a bad move and a reward for terror".

Benny Gantz said it "emboldens Hamas and extends the war", and Naftali Bennett, the man who may well usurp Netanyahu as prime minister next year, said recognition coul

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