Recognition

Four of America’s nominally closest allies — Britain, Australia, France and Canada — disgraced themselves this week by recognizing a so-called Palestinian state. In so doing, these nations didn’t merely betray their Western civilizational inheritance. They also rewarded terrorism, strengthened the genocidal ambitions of the global jihad and sent a chilling message: The path to international legitimacy runs not through the difficult work of building up a nation-state and engaging in diplomacy, but through mass murder, the weaponization of transnational institutions and the erasure of historical truth.

The Trump administration has already denounced this craven capitulation by our allies. There should be no recognition of an independent Palestinian state at this moment in history. Such a recognition is an abdication not only of basic human decency, but also of national interest and strategic sanity.

The global march toward recognition of an independent Palestinian state ignores decades of brutal facts on the ground as well as the specific tide of blood behind this latest surge. It was less than two years ago — Oct. 7, 2023 — that Hamas launched the most barbaric anti-Jewish pogrom since the Holocaust: 6,000 terrorists poured into Israel, massacring roughly 1,200 innocent people in acts of unconscionable depravity — systematic rape, torture, kidnapping of babies. The terrorists livestreamed their own atrocities and dragged more than 250 hostages back to Gaza’s sprawling subterranean terror dungeons, where dozens remain to this day.

Many gullible liberal elites wish to believe that the radical jihadists of Hamas do not represent the broader Palestinian-Arab population, but that is a lie. Polls consistently show — and anecdotal videos of large street crowds consistently demonstrate — that Hamas and like-minded jihadist groups maintain overwhelming popularity in both Gaza and Judea and Samaria (what the international community refers to as the West Bank). These groups deserve shame, scorn and diplomatic rebuke — not fawning sympathy and United Nations red carpets.

The “government” in Gaza is a theocratic, Iranian-backed terror entity whose founding charter drips with unrepentant Jew-hatred and whose leaders routinely celebrate the wanton slaughter of innocent Israelis as triumphs of “resistance.” Along with the kleptocratic Palestinian Authority dictatorship in Ramallah, this is who, and what, Group of 7 powers like Britain and France have decided to reward with an imprimatur of legitimate statehood.

There is no meaningful “peace partner,” and no “two-state” vision to be realized, amid this horrible reality. There is only a sick cult of violence, lavishly funded from Tehran and eager for widespread international recognition as a stepping stone toward the destruction of Israel — and the broader West for which Israel is a proxy.

For decades, Western leaders maintained a straightforward position: There can be no recognition of a Palestinian state outside of direct negotiations with Israel, full demilitarization and the unqualified acceptance of Israel’s right to exist in secure borders as a distinctly Jewish state. The move at the United Nations to recognize a Palestinian state torches that policy, declaring to the world that savagery and maximalist rejectionism are the currency of international legitimacy. By rewarding unilateralism and eschewing direct negotiation, these reckless Western governments have proved us international law skeptics right: The much-ballyhooed “peace process” agreements, such as the Oslo Accords of the 1990s, are not worth the paper they were written on.

In the wake of Oct. 7, these nations condemned the massacre, proclaimed solidarity with Israel and even briefly suspended funding for UNRWA, the U.N. aid group for the Palestinian territories, after agency employees were accused of participating in the attack. Yet, under the relentless drumbeat of anti-Israel activism and diplomatic cowardice, they have now chosen to rehabilitate the Palestinian-Arab nationalist cause — not after the leaders of the cause renounced terrorism, but while its most gruesome crimes remained unpunished, its hostages still languish in concentration camp-like squalor and its leaders still clamor for the annihilation of Israel.

Trump should clarify not only that America will not join in this dangerous, high-stakes charade, but also that there could very well be negative trade or diplomatic repercussions for countries that recognize an independent Palestinian terror state. The reason for such consequences would be simple: Undermining America’s strongest ally in the Middle East while simultaneously creating yet another new terror-friendly Islamist state directly harms the American national interest. There is no American national interest — none, zero — in the creation of a new Palestinian state in the heart of the Holy Land. On the contrary, as the Abraham Accords peace deals of 2020 proved, there is plenty of reason to embolden Israel. Contra liberal elites, it is this bolstering of Israel that fosters genuine regional peace.

The world must know: In the face of evil, America does not flinch, does not equivocate and does not reward those who murder our friends and threaten the Judeo-Christian West. As long as the Jewish state stands on the front lines of civilization, the United States must remain at its side, unwavering, unbowed and unashamed. Basic human decency and the American national interest both require nothing less.

Josh Hammer’s latest book is “Israel and Civilization: The Fate of the Jewish Nation and the Destiny of the West.” This article was produced in collaboration with Creators Syndicate. X: @josh_hammer

A wave of recognition from Western countries – led by France, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada – means that 157 countries now recognise a Palestinian state.

The latest countries to recognise Palestine include strong allies of Israel who have tried to frame the recognition as an attempt to keep alive the idea of a two-state solution, which envisions a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

“In the face of the growing horror in the Middle East, we are acting to keep alive the possibility of peace and a two-state solution,” Keir Starmer, the UK prime minister, said in a statement. “That means a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable Palestinian state. At the moment, we have neither.”

While diplomatically the recognition of Palestine is a major step forward, on a practical level, it does little to bring the possibility of statehood any closer.

Israel has only increased settlement construction in the occupied West Bank throughout its war on Gaza and responded to the recognition of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly this week by doubling down on its commitment to never allow a Palestinian state.

So does recognition bring Palestine any closer to statehood, and what does a territory need to be considered a state? Let’s take a closer look.

What does it take to be a state?

There is no single definition of a state, but international law widely cites the Montevideo Convention of 1933. The UN has previously referenced the Montevideo Convention when discussing Palestinian statehood.

The convention does not require a state to be recognised by others. Instead, it specifies that a territory must have defined borders, a government, the capacity to enter into relations with other states and a permanent population.

So could Palestine be a state?

While many of the states that recognise Palestine are vague about its exact borders, most envisage lines close to those before Israel’s 1967 war, including Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Israel has occupied Palestinian territory since 1967 despite that being illegal under international law.

The Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestinians in the 1990s were supposed to start the process leading to the formation of a Palestinian state and created the Palestinian Authority (PA).

The PA engages in foreign relations, maintaining diplomatic ties with numerous countries and operating various diplomatic missions, including embassies, representative offices and delegations

And in terms of its permanent population, millions of Palestinians live in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem and have done so for generations despite decades of Israeli policies.

However, the degree to which Israel allows the PA to operate as an independent state is disputed. While the PA exercises some governmental functions, international bodies have questioned its full capacity to govern.

For example, the UN Secretariat in 2011 and the International Criminal Court in 2020 noted that despite meeting all the other conditions for statehood set out in the Montevideo Convention, Israel’s control over the PA’s borders, movement within the territory – where Israel maintains a heavy security presence – resources and security operations undermine the PA’s ability to govern.

So, why isn’t Palestine a state?

Because international law can go only so far.

Since establishing Kfar Etzion, its first settlement in the West Bank after the 1967 war, Israel has created more than 160 settlements across the Palestinian territory and occupied East Jerusalem, housing about 700,000 Israelis. These settlements are illegal under international law.

During its war on Gaza, settlement construction has surged. Israel’s latest plan to build about 3,400 new homes would bisect the West Bank while linking thousands of existing settlements by roads for Israeli use only, making any future Palestinian state almost impossible.

In addition, Israel has constructed industrial developments, such as the Barkan Industrial Park, in occupied territory.

Israeli and international firms are encouraged to locate themselves in the industrial parks, receiving government subsidies, low rents, favourable tax rates and access to cheap Palestinian labour in return for supporting the settlements’ economies.

Among them, according to Amnesty International, are international companies such as Airbnb, Expedia and JCB.

How likely is Israel to give up its settlements?

Very unlikely.

Many settlers and their supporters in the Israeli government see their presence in Palestinian territory as ordained by Jewish scriptures.

According to them, in addition to settling Gaza, they hold a “divine mandate” to reclaim the West Bank, or Judea and Samaria as they refer to it, and even to potentially expand Israel’s frontiers to form “Greater Israel”, a territory that includes parts of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt.

Settlers themselves are being increasingly aggressive in seizing Palestinian land, facing little pushback from the Israeli state, and their agenda is openly supported by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party.

Many settler leaders are in government, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

But what about international law?

Israel, with the absolute backing of the United States, has shown little regard for international law from the first ejection of 750,000 Palestinians in 1948 to the present.

In fact, rather than recognise a Palestinian state as others have done, the Israeli Knesset voted in July in defiance of international law and approved a motion to annex the West Bank, which constitutes much of one.

On Sunday in response to the moves by the UK, France, Australia and other countries, Netanyahu was clear: “It will not happen. There will be no Palestinian state west of the Jordan [River],” he pledged.

Several Western nations, including the UK, Australia, and Canada, have formally recognised Palestine, drawing praise from Palestinians and outrage from the Israeli government, which insists it will never allow a Palestinian state.

Palestinian Ambassador Zomlot says ‘moment stands as defiant act of truth, a refusal to let genocide be the final word’.

The Palestinian flag has been raised outside the premises of what is now Palestine’s embassy to the United Kingdom in London, marking Britain’s historic and long-awaited recognition of a Palestinian state, as Israel’s relentless destruction of Gaza and its military’s crackdown in the occupied West Bank continue.

The flag-raising ceremony on Monday followed a speech by Palestine’s Ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot, outside what was previously the Palestine Mission to the UK.

“Please join me as we raise the flag of Palestine with its colours representing our nation: Black for our mourning, white for our hope, green for our land and red for the sacrifices of our people,” Zomlot said.

Zomlot said the recognition of a Palestinian state was about “righting historic wrongs and committing together to a future based on freedom, dignity and fundamental human rights”.

He called on people to remember “that this recognition comes at a time of unimaginable pain and suffering as a genocide is being waged against us – a genocide that is still being denied and allowed to continue with impunity”.

He continued: “It comes as our people in Gaza are being starved, bombed, and buried under the rubble of their homes; as our people in the West Bank are being ethnically cleansed, brutalised by daily state-sponsored terrorism, land theft and suffocating oppression.”

Zomlot said the recognition was occurring “as the humanity of Palestinian people is still questioned, our lives still treated as disposable and our basic freedoms still denied”.

“Yet, this moment stands as a defiant act of truth, a refusal to let genocide be the final word; a refusal to accept that occupation is permanent; a refusal to be erased and a refusal to be dehumanised,” he concluded.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced the United Kingdom’s decision to formally recognise a Palestinian state, more than 100 years after the Balfour Declaration backed “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”, and 77 years after the creation of Israel in the British Mandate of Palestine.

“In the face of the growing horror in the Middle East, we are acting to keep alive the possibility of peace and of a two-state solution,” Starmer said in a video statement Sunday.

The UK government said in July it would shift its longstanding approach of holding off recognition until a supposed moment of maximum effect – unless Israel stops its genocidal war in Gaza, commits to a long-term sustainable peace process that delivers a two-state solution, and allows more aid into the enclave.

But the catastrophic situation in Gaza has only grown significantly more dire over the past few weeks, as the Israeli military continues to systematically destroy Gaza City to seize it, while continuing to starve and displace the famine-stricken population of the enclave.

Daily raids by Israeli soldiers and attacks by settlers are also ongoing across the occupied West Bank, with Israel advancing plans to annex the Palestinian territory.

Canada, Australia, and Portugal also officially recognised Palestinian statehood two days before the start of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), where Palestinian sovereignty after decades of occupation and apartheid by Israel will be in focus.

France and Saudi Arabia are preparing to host a one-day summit at the UN, a day before the start of the UNGA, both of which will be heavily focused on Israel’s war on Gaza and the elusive two-state solution.

At the UN headquarters in New York, world leaders will convene on Monday to revive the long-stalled notion, amid warnings that a contiguous Palestinian state could “vanish altogether” as a result of Israel’s hegemonic moves in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Australia’s formally recognition of the State of Palestine, in a coordinated move with the UK and Canada, in an effort to revive a two-state solution. Albanese made the declaration from New York where he’ll be attending the UN General Assembly this week.

West Jerusalem, Israel – Two blocks from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in West Jerusalem, where Balfour and Gaza Streets meet behind layers of steel barricades and weekly pro-hostage rallies, a tiny cornerside cafe, oddly unnamed and half-hidden, buzzed with mid-morning chatter.

As phones lit up with news that United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer had announced formal recognition of a Palestinian state, a few patrons looked up, while others shrugged.

“Of course I’m angry,” said Shira Hazan, 55, a shop owner and longtime supporter of Netanyahu’s Likud party. “But what changes? Britain doesn’t bury our soldiers. It’s just politics while Iran is shooting at us.”

A man sitting next to her, like most of those at the cafe, waved the headline off with a flick of the hand, treating it as little more than background noise.

“It’s colonial arrogance, nothing less,” he said, wearing a knitted kippah and barely looking up as be scrolled through his phone.

But the UK’s recognition of Palestine, while not a United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) vote like Israel’s in 1948, could still set off a wave. The decision marks the first time a major Western power that once held the Mandate for Palestine – given to Britain by the UN predecessor, The League of Nations, after the end of World War I to administer what is today the area that includes Gaza, the West Bank and Israel – has formally recognised Palestinian statehood.

Australia and Canada have also issued recognitions in what appeared to be a coordinated move, piling pressure on Israel and placing the three countries at odds with the United States.

The announcement comes shortly before a special summit on the war in Gaza, to be held by the UNGA on Monday. The gathering is part of a diplomatic initiative led by France and Saudi Arabia to revive the two-state solution as the only viable path to ending the decades-long conflict in the region.

Several countries, including France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Malta, have said they will join the more than 145 UN members that already recognise a Palestinian state.

Political push back

Though anticipated for some time now, the statehood declaration set off an immediate and forceful backlash, with leaders across Israel’s divided political establishment and segments of the public urging swift and sweeping retaliation.

Within hours, far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would push for an immediate annexation of the occupied West Bank, describing the recognition as “a prize for the murderous Nukhba terrorists”, a reference to the Hamas unit that led the October 7, 2023, assault in southern Israel.

He pledged “the complete dismantling of the ‘Palestinian’ Authority” and added that he intended to “submit a proposal for the application of sovereignty at the upcoming cabinet meeting”.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum – a group that campaigns for the safe return of captives taken to Gaza during the 2023 attack on Israel, which has camped out for more than 740 days outside Netanyahu’s home in Tel Aviv – condemned what it called “the unconditional recognition of a Palestinian state while turning a blind eye to the fact that 48 hostages remain in Hamas captivity”.

The outcry extended to the opposition. Benny Gantz, the centrist former defence minister and a leading Netanyahu rival, warned that the move would only harden Hamas’s grip and complicate efforts to free the captives held in Gaza.

“Recognising a Palestinian state after October 7 ultimately only emboldens Hamas, extends the war, distances the prospects of a hostage deal, and sends a clear message of support to Iran and its proxies,” Gantz said. In an English-language post on X directed at Western capitals, he added: “If advancing peace & stability in the Middle East is what you seek, dear Western Leaders – and not buckling to domestic political pressure, then maximum pressure must be applied to Hamas to relinquish power and return the hostages before anything else.”

One of the lone voices calling Starmer’s recognition “a step in the right direction” is left-wing Israeli parliamentarian Ofer Cassif. He told Al Jazeera that the Israeli government treats recognition as “a win-lose game”, when in reality, it could be a win for all sides.

In January 2024, Cassif signed a petition supporting South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice, prompting efforts to expel him from the Knesset on the grounds of supporting armed struggle. He was eventually suspended for six months.

“Recognition is a crucial first step toward a just peace, and all other countries that have not yet done so should follow suit,” Cassif told Al Jazeera. “But it must not become an end goal by itself. A complete arms embargo on Israel must follow, until the government of death and destruction ends the genocide in Gaza and dismantles the illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories.”

Asked about further UN actions, he said that he would “absolutely” support a peacekeeping force and reactivating anti-apartheid mechanisms used in South Africa, which included weapons and oil embargoes, among other moves.

‘The absolute worst moment’

Noam Achimeir, 29, a PhD candidate at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University who described himself as left-leaning, took issue with the timing of the Palestinian statehood announcements.

“Look, I believe in two states, I’ve marched for peace; I’ve argued with my parents about the occupation for years. But this?” Achimeir said. “This is the absolute worst moment. We’re under missile fire, families are hiding in shelters, and people are still held hostage. When countries make a grand gesture right now, it feels like rewarding the people doing that to us.”

However, he also argued that Israel cannot “control millions of Palestinians forever”.

“Maybe it’s symbolic. But symbols matter,” he told Al Jazeera. “If Britain recognises Palestine, maybe it forces us to admit this conflict won’t just vanish.”

Eliyahu Korenman, 42, a religious Zionist from the illegal settlement of Shilo north of Jerusalem who said he backed Ben-Gvir at the last election, said that London’s decision “tells Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran to keep firing rockets, holding hostages, killing Jews – and the world will reward you”.

“Every Israeli knows Palestine is just another word for surrender,” Korenman said. “If anything, the timing proves we were right all along. The only way forward is to hold on tighter, to build more, to show the world we don’t need their approval. The world doesn’t understand that.”

Yael Ben Eshel, 27, a veterinary apprentice from West Jerusalem who voted for Netanyahu’s Likud, was also dismissive.

“Honestly? Who cares? Britain hasn’t mattered here in decades. They can recognise Palestine, they can recognise the moon, it changes nothing on the ground,” she told Al Jazeera. “We don’t wake up tomorrow and give up land because of what they say.

“It’s for their politics, for the immigrants and the refugees, so forgive me if I don’t get worked up about a British speech,” Ben Eshel added, echoing Netanyahu’s comments last week on Israel’s increased international isolation, which the prime minister blamed in part on Muslim minorities in the West, rather than Israel’s killing of more than 65,000 Palestinians in Gaza.

‘Britain cannot wash its hands of history’

The announcement lands amid a tense military escalation, where the Israeli army recently deployed a third division into Gaza City as part of an operation dubbed “Gideon’s Chariots B”, expanding a months-long offensive in the enclave that has killed hundreds in an area where famine has also been declared.

It also followed a drumbeat of moves by Israel’s hard-right government aimed at forestalling Palestinian statehood. Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich last week unveiled a proposal to annex 82 percent of the occupied West Bank, an idea he framed as a permanent bulwark against a two-state solution.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu signed a controversial settlement expansion agreement this month, reiterating his long-held rejection of a Palestinian state and declaring that “there will be no Palestinian state; this place belongs to us”.

“Britain set the stage. First, it promised Arabs freedom if they fought the Ottomans, then, secretly carved up the region in Sykes-Picot [treaty]. It told Jews one thing in the Balfour Declaration and told Arabs another,” Achimeir said, in criticism of the UK’s policy in the aftermath of World War I.

Daniel Darby, 51, an anti-Zionist from Pardes Hanna, north of Tel Aviv, agreed, stating that London’s recognition of a Palestinian state today is “an empty, symbolic gesture that will not change a thing for the people in the occupied West Bank and for the people who are now suffering horrific genocide in Gaza”.

“The UK, which together with other European imperialistic forces is responsible for the creation of the Zionist state, is now even more fully responsible for the horrific acts taking place in occupied Palestine by supplying reconnaissance, intelligence, and all kinds of military support for Israel,” Darby said.

He added that recognition alone is meaningless without real consequences.

“The UK will not clear its past and its responsibility unless it takes action now, with a full weapons embargo and full sanctions on the state of Israel.”

This article is published in collaboration with Egab.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced the United Kingdom’s formal recognition of Palestinian statehood, joining Canada and Australia in a move aimed at reviving the push for a two-state solution. The US and Israel have criticised the decision.