KISUMU, Kenya, September 24th –Israel has continued to be isolated as more countries have formally recognised Palestine as a state.
The bid towards that end was fronted by France and Saudi Arabia at the United Nations on Monday. Despite the diplomatic moves Israel continued with its savage war in Gaza and expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Monaco, Malta and Luxembourg were the latest to declare their support during a summit on a two-state solution in New York, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.
Belgium reportedly also declared its recognition but said it can only take legal effect if Hamas is removed and hostages are returned.
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking at a summit, told the UN General Assembly that recognition of a Palestinian state is the only solution that will allow for Israel to live in peace, calling the move a “defeat for Hamas.”
Macron said they must do everything within their power to preserve the very possibility of a two-state solution.
“Israel and Palestine should be living side by side in peace and security,” Macron said.
Macron indicated that the recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people takes nothing away from the rights of the people of Israel, whom France supported from day one.
During Monday’s summit, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Gutierrez called the situation in Gaza “intolerable” and said a two-state solution is the “only way out of this nightmare.”
The top union official indicated that statehood for Palestinians “is a right, not a reward” and without it, there will be “no peace” in the region.
France’s announcement comes as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Portugal declared recognition over the weekend, joining more than 145 UN member states that already recognise Palestinian statehood.
The United States, which is a key ally of Israel, has the power to veto membership and is not attending Monday’s summit, which means the move, however, is largely symbolic without support from the superpower.
The summit aims to intensify efforts toward reviving a two-state solution and provide a pathway to peace. Fears are mounting that Palestinian statehood is a fading prospect as more Jewish settlers continue to flock to the West Bank.
The move to recognise a Palestinian state has led to a ferocious response in Israel. Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said the US and Israel will not participate in this charade and expressed disappointment toward Macron.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will fight at the UN and other international forums against the slanderous propaganda aimed at us, as well as calls to create a Palestinian state that he said will endanger our existence and constitute an absurd prize for terrorism.
Israel’s radical security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, said recognition required “immediate countermeasures namely the immediate application of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria and the total dismantling of the ‘Palestinian’ Authority. Judea and Samaria are the terms usually used in Israel to refer to the occupied West Bank.
France’s announcement on Monday makes Israel’s biggest backer, the United States, the sole permanent member of the UN Security Council not to recognise Palestinian statehood.
Palestinian attempts for UN recognition as a full member state began in 2011. They are currently a non-member observer state, a status that was granted in November 2012.
But, the path to becoming a member-state requires at least nine of the 15 members of the Security Council to vote in favour, and none of its five permanent members, namely the US, France, China, Britain and Russia , to veto it.
The US has frequently used its veto power in line with Israel’s foreign policy hence blocking a Security Council resolution last year that would have recognised a Palestinian state. (Photo Courtesy).
