Jim, your Vermont piece was written during the conflict before the facts about the munitions were established.

Here are UK's reasons for not supporting membership.
Al Jazeera

William Hague, the British foreign secretary, said on Wednesday that his government had decided to abstain from voting in the hope that it would help bring Palestine and Israel back to the negotiating table.

"We will not vote against the application because of the progress the Palestinian leadership has made towards meeting the criteria," Hague said, speaking to the British parliament.

"But nor can we vote for it while our primary objective remains a return to negotiations through the Quartet process and the success of those negotiations."

Hague said the Palestinian Authority "largely fulfills the criteria for UN membership," but granting it the status would impede its "ability to function effectively as a state".

The Palestinian campaign, launched with a dramatic speech by President Mahmoud Abbas at UN headquarters in September, has fallen onto hard times in recent weeks.

While the speech was warmly received, the Palestinians have struggled to muster the nine votes needed in the 15-member Security Council to approve their bid for membership as a state.

Britain's announcement comes a day after a similar statement by France.