WESTERN leaders have too often glossed over Israeli leaders' comments that proclaim ongoing zionist domination of historical Palestine's entirety. 

Even as Israeli governments have presided over mass colonisation of the occupied West Bank, the UK and the European Union, including Britain, have pretended that Israel remains committed to a negotiated two-state solution.

Benjamin Netanyahu's blunt rejection of a Palestinian state, together with his anti-Arab racism, illustrates his confidence that Tel Aviv can get away with almost anything.

He even humiliated the president of Israel's major global ally, accepting a US Republican opposition invitation to address Congress and slating Barack Obama's decision to negotiate with Iran over its nuclear programme.

The Israeli leader clearly believes that he can tweak the nose of the US president with impunity.

Netanyahu's aggressively colonialist and racist stance won the day electorally, but even he feels the need now to row back to avoid total isolation.

Israel is different from other states in not defining its borders - either actual or claimed.

Its clear intention is to expand as far as it can while claiming to be under constant existential threat because of the hatred and unreasonableness of its neighbours.

European Union and US leaders subscribe to Israel's supposed commitment to a two-state solution but confine themselves to hand-wringing and words of regret in the face of the zionist state's inexorable colonisation of the West Bank, with over half-a-million illegal settlers there. 

And despite kicking up a fuss over the labelling of settlement produce as Israeli, the EU and Washington give Israeli exports special preference, encouraging no change to Tel Aviv's policies.

David Cameron had no criticism of Netanyahu's "the Arabs are coming" outburst or of his outright rejection of the Palestinian statehood, contending himself with a bland statement of looking forward to working with the Israeli leader.

Could we imagine any mainstream politician in Britain ranting that black people, Muslims, Jews, or any other minorities were streaming to polling booths in their droves and then expecting his outburst to be excused after the election?

Obama served notice that he has not fallen for Netanyahu's post-election two-state reaffirmation, declaring: "We take him at his word when he said that it wouldn't happen during his prime ministership.

Obama stressed that the Israeli prime minister's words make it hard for people to believe there is any point in further negotiations, which is a classic understatement. 

But the US president's statements in the wake of Israel's election also put pressure on his administration and its EU allies.

Arab League secretary-general Nabil El-Araby floated the idea at the weekend of submitting once more the proposal endorsing Palestinian statehood to the UN security council.

El-Araby believes that he has detected a change of mood among EU leaders and hopes to persuade Washington not to impose a veto.

He has appealed to Netanyahu to accept the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative which provided for a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders and for all Arab states to open diplomatic links with Israel.

However, while diplomacy is important, it cannot succeed without heightened popular pressure on Western governments to take a firm stand.

Just as a broad range of sanctions was necessary to beef up a negotiated end to apartheid in South Africa, so it is against apartheid Israel. 

All possible support should be given to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign petition urging the government to impose sanctions now.