https://arab.news/mrbur
Several countries have recently agreed to add their names to the list of nations — the majority of UN member states — that have already recognized the state of Palestine on the borders of June 4, 1967. On Sunday, the UK, Canada, Australia and Portugal became the latest to do so, with Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Malta among those expected to quickly follow.
Palestine has met all the requirements for statehood and in 2012 won recognition as a nonmember observer state in an overwhelming vote by the UN General Assembly. The only obstacle facing Palestinian statehood is the repeated vetoes of the US in the UN Security Council.
It is especially heartwarming that the UK, whose Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour helped ignite the 100-year war in Palestine with his “declaration” of 1917, is among the group of Western countries that is finally correcting a historic mistake. London’s recognition of Palestine on the 1967 borders also finally fulfills the promises made to Arab leaders during the First World War, as documented in the McMahon-Hussein correspondence — a series of 10 letters exchanged between Sir Henry McMahon, the British high commissioner in Egypt, and Hussein bin Ali, the sharif of Makkah, in 1915 and 1916.
Recognizing the state of Palestine and debunking the Israeli narrative will not end the illegal Israeli occupation, nor will it stop the genocidal war going on in Gaza. However, it will put down a clear and permanent marker that the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip are Palestinian territories and that the Palestinian people, through their democratically elected representatives, have the right to self-determination on their land.
The goal of the Palestinian effort is to shift the discussions to the rights of Palestinians and the need to accommodate the relationship between two states, Palestine and Israel. Palestine, even under Israeli occupation, can negotiate with Israel the modalities of their relations, including borders, Jewish settlers, Palestinian refugees, water rights and all other aspects between two peaceful states.
It is especially heartwarming that the UK is among the group of Western countries that is finally correcting a historic mistake
Daoud Kuttab
However, despite the importance of the recognition of Palestine, the world community needs to follow this important step with rigorous efforts and pressure on Israel to end its vengeful, disproportionate and criminal war against the Palestinian people, freeze all illegal settlements activities, hold settlers accountable and honor various commitments made in the 1993 Declaration of Principles, signed by the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel at the White House.
Countries that recognize Palestine also need to support the state of Palestine, whose current peaceful president, Mahmoud Abbas, Israel and the US have unduly demonized, even though he has opposed Hamas and supported the recent French-Saudi plan that called for its disarmament.
Before a peaceful, negotiated solution between Israel and Palestine is concluded, a roadmap is needed that includes replacing the occupying Israeli army with a neutral international and Arab force with a clear mandate and a time limit. Once this is done, Palestinians will be able to hold democratic elections that will produce leaders with a clear mandate to negotiate with Israel the terms of a peaceful solution to the century-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
This might seem like a daydream or even an impossible mission, but if the political will demonstrated in the recognition of Palestine continues, this is totally possible. To help the process, Washington can do a lot to expedite a peaceful solution.
The world community needs to follow this important step with rigorous efforts and pressure on Israel
Daoud Kuttab
World powers need to do more than just recognize Palestine, especially if Israel takes retaliatory actions against Palestinians as a result, including further illegal annexation decisions. Chapter VII of the UN Charter provides measures that UN members can vote on to hold to account rogue states and those refusing to honor the charter. This can include sanctions and other punitive measures.
The US, which was the first country to recognize Israel and whose policies over many decades by both Republican and Democratic administrations have supported the two-state solution, can do a lot to bring peace to the Middle East. President Donald Trump would surely qualify for a coveted Nobel Peace Prize if he told his representative at the UNSC not to veto a resolution granting Palestinian statehood, while applying tough love to his beloved Israel allies to negotiate in good faith with the representatives of the state of Palestine.
Peace is possible in the Middle East despite the widespread negative rhetoric that fills the airwaves and social media. A democratic and independent state of Palestine can live in peace with a safe state of Israel. The decision to recognize Palestine is a crucial step in this direction, but it must be followed by rigorous action.
- Daoud Kuttab is an award-winning Palestinian journalist and former Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton University. He is the author of “State of Palestine Now: Practical and Logical Arguments for the Best Way to Bring Peace to the Middle East.” X: @daoudkuttab