Israel has concluded that a UN General Assembly vote in favour of recognising an independent Palestinian state is inevitable and is therefore trying to make it plain that such a move would be meaningless.

The Obama administration has given official confirmation that it will not take part in the follow-up to the controversial Durban conference, set to take place at the United Nations headquarters in September.

Key figures in Israel's left-wing have called on European leaders to defy Israeli and US wishes and support the Palestinians if they attempt to unilaterally declare statehood at the UN.

Almost a year after David Ben Gurion declared independence for the Jewish state; Israel was welcomed into the global club.

With something of a fraught relationship between the two since, it was nonetheless a positive step. Twelve countries voyted against welcoming the 59th members, including Afghanistan, India and Iraq, while nine, among them Britain, Denmark and Greece, abstained.

Judge Richard Goldstone's recent comments challenging the key findings of his report into Operation Cast Lead have been described by three other members of the probe as unjustified and an attempt to "misrepresent" the original document.

The Israeli government is worried that the Obama administration has decided not to block attempts to recognise an independent Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Judge Richard Goldstone has been invited to visit Israel, following his admission that he did not stand by his damning report on Israeli military conduct during the Gaza war.

According to Israel's Interior Minister Eli Yishai, Judge Goldstone has accepted the offer, which would include a tour of southern Israeli communities affected by the barrage of rockets from Gaza.