Israel warns over Palestinian vote at UN Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Thursday that the Palestinian bid to gain UN recognition for an independent state was likely to harm "peace," and sought to calm concerns over Israel's diplomatic isolation at the global body, telling his countrymen they should not "be impressed by the applause at the UN." Speaking hours before a vote to formally upgrade the Palestinian status in the UN general assembly, the Israeli prime minister said: "The only way to achieve peace is through agreements that are reached by the parties directly ... and not through UN resolutions that completely ignore Israel's vital security and national interests." He added: "And because this resolution is so one-sided, it doesn't advance peace, it pushes it backwards." His remarks came amid growing signs that Israel and its US ally would be heavily outvoted at the UN later on Thursday, as more countries came out in favour of a resolution to raise the Palestinian status at the global body from that of a non-member observer "entity" to that of a non-member observer "state." The change will keep Palestinian powers at the UN essentially unchanged - but it is expected to make it easier for the Palestinians to join other UN agencies, as well as the International Criminal Court. Italy, Belgium and Sweden were among the latest European states to announce their support for the diplomatic upgrade, joining an increasingly long list of EU states backing the Palestinian motion. In a particularly harsh blow to Israeli diplomacy, Germany said it would not vote against the resolution, and instead would abstain. Berlin is normally among Israel's staunchest allies, and the decision to abstain appeared to tilt other undecided European countries against supporting Israel at the last minute. Diplomats said it was now likely that not a single European country would join Israel in rejecting the resolution. In Ramallah and other West Bank cities, thousands of Palestinians took part in marches in support of the UN bid. The mood was joyful and expectant, but also marked by recognition that the UN vote was unlikely to change the political realities on the ground in the near future. "This is the first time that the UN recognises the right of the Palestinian people to create an independent Palestinian state," said Saji Khalil, 67, a teacher from Ramallah. Standing in a crowd of about 1,000 demonstrators, many of them waving Palestinian flags, he expressed hope that the UN move would help unite the Palestinians - and improve the Palestinian negotiating position vis-à-vis Israel. Youssef al-Ayam, an official in the Palestine Liberation Organisation, pointed to the vote at the UN 65 years ago when member states voted in favour of a plan to partition British-ruled Palestine into a Jewish and Arab state. "We hope that we can change history today, after 65 years," he said. Mr al-Ayam said he was planning to watch the UN vote live on television later in the day: "And then I will celebrate the creation of a Palestinian state all night."