Recognition of Palestine: right or wrong?
At a conference in New York on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced France's recognition of Palestine as an independent state, describing this as a necessary step on the path to peace. Canada, the UK, Australia and Portugal had already recognised Palestine shortly before, while Belgium and Monaco made the move after France. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss an end to the Gaza war and the goal of a two-state solution.
Only without Hamas
Kleine Zeitung says the cart has been put before the horse:
“With this recognition, the UK and other countries want to make it clear that Israel is crossing all boundaries with its uncompromising warmongering. But no conditions are being imposed on the Palestinians. [UK Prime Minister Keir] Starmer says that Hamas cannot play a role in a new state, but that is rhetoric and not real leverage. It would have been wiser to turn the matter on its head: the states will recognise Palestine immediately - if Hamas clears the field.”
Last chance for a diplomatic solution
De Volkskrant argues:
“The idea is that recognising their state will offer the Palestinians a prospect for the future, with a new government from which Hamas is excluded. ... The Netanyahu government is on a collision course that offers no prospects whatsoever; not for the Palestinian people, not for the hostages, not for the region, but also not for the Israeli population, which remains eternally surrounded by enemies of its own making. The recognition of Palestine is more than a symbolic gesture; it may be the last chance for a diplomatic process that should have been implemented decades ago.”
Words are not enough
A lot more is needed than symbolic gestures, Le Courrier admonishes:
“Recognising Palestine is a necessary step. But if it is not accompanied by political and economic sanctions against Benjamin Netanyahu's government, it will remain nothing more than a smokescreen. While the powerful negotiate, the bombs are raining down. ... Yet there are other, less symbolic levers: stopping all arms deliveries to Israel, terminating all economic ties - in particular the EU Association Agreement - and support for a comprehensive boycott of products exported by Israel. ... The diplomatic path of recognition can and must be only a starting point.”
Part of a post-war plan
Der Spiegel comments:
“At a time when the Palestinian state is shrinking a little more every day, recognition by a political heavyweight like Germany would send an important signal. With the speed at which Israel's government is acting, the wait-and-see approach propagated by Germany cements the one-state reality. It will soon be too late for a two-state solution. ... Recognising Palestine is about more than just symbolism. The initiative contains a plan for Gaza as soon as the guns are silenced. ... It is right that the international community is trying to come up with a post-war plan for Gaza and seek new approaches for a peace process that no longer depends on Israeli concessions.”
Netanyahu's chance to remain in power
Netanyahu will take advantage of the wave of recognitions to advance his domestic political interests, Israel-based political scientist Abbas Gallyamov concludes on Facebook:
“It seems to me that Netanyahu could now call early elections. ... The Israeli prime minister has finally found an issue on which the majority of Israeli citizens agree with him. ... Numerous opinion polls show that after the events of 7 October a clear majority of Israelis who were previously tolerant towards the prospect of a two-state solution radically changed their stance and are now against it. All Netanyahu has to do now is present himself as the main fighter against a 'global leftist conspiracy', and since this has supposedly materialised in the form of resolutions to recognise Palestine, he will succeed in doing so without much effort.”
Confusing wish and reality
At this point in time recognition as an independent state can do nothing for Palestine, sociologist Pedro Gomes Sanches points out in Expresso:
“Recognition (which I am all for as I continue to support the two-state solution) should be a consequence of the (positive) attitude of the Palestinians (and their 'governments') and not a punishment for Israel. You want to put Israel under pressure? Then demand withdrawal from the settlements, for example. Recognising Palestine under these conditions (or rather without conditions) is not an act of justice, but a mistake. It is to confuse wishful thinking and reality.”
Gesture of despair
Spotmedia hopes for a new dynamic:
“Against the backdrop of the war in the Gaza Strip, recognising the Palestinian state will not bring immediate peace, but it could revive international talks on a lasting solution. Those in favour of recognition hope that this wave of support will shake up the diplomatic order and restart a long-neglected political process. Since Israel is not really responding and the US continues to block progress, the recognition of the Palestinian state seems like not just a political gesture but also a global declaration of despair.”
A clear message to two peoples
France also plans to recognise Palestine at a summit meeting on the fringes of the UN General Assembly on Monday. Recognition is not enough, but it is indispensable, Le Monde argues:
“It is a message to two peoples aimed at dragging the stronger of the two, trapped in its painful history, away from the illusion of omnipotence and offering a spark of hope to those who continue to suffer in Gaza and the West Bank. ... The practical limits of this initiative are obvious, given the uncompromising stance of Benjamin Netanyahu, who is blindly supported by Donald Trump. But today, a wait-and-see approach amounts to a declaration of powerlessness. ... Recognising the State of Palestine will of course not be enough to bring about peace. But not recognising it would hasten the destruction of the two-state solution and guarantee an endless war.”
More substantive steps needed
This act of recognition is by no means enough, says The Guardian:
“The mass diplomatic shift is symbolic; the US will continue to block full Palestinian membership of the UN. At best, this is part of a concerted effort to end the war. ... The more cynical reckoning is that governments are scrambling to appease domestic anger at their complicity, and avoiding more substantive steps. ... Britain and European states must end all arms transfers and military cooperation, cut trade privileges and pursue international accountability. Promoting a mirage of a Palestinian state without taking meaningful action to halt the annihilation would be cruel, cowardly and self-serving.”