UK and France Pondering Over Palestine: Could a Rapid Two-State Resolution be Achievable? Authored by Farrukh Dhondy
In a significant shift, French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer have announced their intention to recognize a Palestinian state, contingent on certain conditions. This move comes as France, the UK, and Canada prepare to make the announcement at the upcoming UN General Assembly.
The recognition of a Palestinian state is seen as a crucial step towards preserving the viability of a two-state solution with Israel. While this recognition is largely symbolic, it carries diplomatic and potentially legal weight, aiming to reposition Palestinian statehood as a starting point for peace talks rather than an endpoint.
France’s President Macron has pledged recognition alongside calls for an immediate Gaza ceasefire, hostage release, Hamas demilitarization, and rebuilding a Palestinian state that accepts Israel’s existence. On the other hand, UK Prime Minister Starmer has conditioned recognition on substantive Israeli actions, including a ceasefire in Gaza, halting West Bank settlement expansion, and committing to a two-state solution. He also emphasized humanitarian aid restoration and Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza.
Canada, too, has similar conditions, emphasizing Palestinian elections excluding Hamas to ensure democratic legitimacy. The impact expected from these declarations includes increasing international pressure on Israel to end hostilities and ease the humanitarian crisis, reviving flagging peace negotiations, and boosting Palestinian legitimacy internationally.
Being members of the G7 and UN Security Council, France and the UK’s moves aim to energize diplomatic momentum and demonstrate international resolve at a critical juncture. The recognition coincides with broader international efforts led by France and Saudi Arabia to promote a two-state solution, with Arab League members calling on Hamas to disarm.
However, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has retaliated against these announcements, arguing that they support or sanction the "terrorist" actions of Hamas. The retaliation from the Israeli government was severe, causing thousands of casualties in Gaza. The US and Britain continued to supply weapons to Israel despite the violence.
There is uncertainty about whether other nations will join Macron and Starmer in recognizing a Palestinian state. There is also no clarity about what territory will be recognized as Palestine. The possible formation of a larger coalition with the same demand may lead to the dissolution of Hamas and the proscription of organizations that support strategies echoing the "from the river to the sea" slogan, which is interpreted as the annihilation of Israel.
This news comes amidst ongoing violence in Gaza, with Hamas carrying out an attack on Israelis on October 7, 2023, resulting in hundreds of deaths and hostages. There is speculation that the state to be recognized by Macron, Starmer, and others will include Gaza and the territory of the West Bank as it was before the 1967 war, requiring the evacuation of Israeli settlers who have acquired land in Palestine's West Bank.
It is important to note that there are individuals who believe that no people have the right to drive another population off their homeland. The author, who grew up in India with Jewish friends who were fervent supporters of the Israeli State, once believed in a one-state solution for Palestine and Israel, but acknowledges that religious prejudices and beliefs about land allocation make such a solution unlikely.
US President Donald Trump has expressed absolute support for Netanyahu’s position, but has not criticised Macron or Starmer. The Iranian surrogates attempted retaliation but were unsuccessful. Despite the ongoing conflict, the Arab states did not take any significant action to stop the violence in Gaza.
In summary, while recognition of a Palestinian state does not alter legal realities on the ground immediately, it has significant symbolic importance and is intended to recalibrate the diplomatic framework to facilitate renewed peace talks and an end to ongoing conflict and humanitarian suffering.
- The recognition of a Palestinian state by France, the UK, and potentially other nations, as a result of war-and-conflicts in Gaza, may lead to policy-and-legislation changes within the United Nations General Assembly and the international community, aiming to end hostilities and facilitate a two-state solution with Israel.
- As part of the push for policy-and-legislation changes regarding war-and-conflicts, general-news outlets are closely following the diplomatic moves by France, the UK, and Canada in recognizing a Palestinian state, and the potential legal and political implications this could have on the ongoing conflict.
