Recognising Palestine? Will French-led diplomatic push help or hurt?

With Gaza under siege and the West Bank under threat, will the symbolic act of recognizing a Palestinian state give its inhabitants reason to hope or to despair? 715 days since Hamas orchestrated the worst terror attack in Israel’s history, what’s clear is that Israel’s squandered sympathy with its incessant pummeling of Gaza and the unchecked land grabs by the state Jewish settlers in the West Bank.