Recognizing Palestinian statehood is an escalation, in two senses of the word.
The declaration by Canada and other countries Sunday is an unacceptable reward to Hamas, the designated terror group behind the Oct. 7 attacks on southern Israel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
And rather than dissuading Israel from conducting military operations in the Gaza Strip or building settlements in the occupied West Bank, he said it will intensify his country鈥檚 resolve.
The stated intent of recognition, however, is to lift Palestine up 鈥 to elevate the Palestinian cause, diplomatically, at least 鈥 and bring it onto even footing with its territorial adversary.听
At a time when the concept of聽DEI policies are under attack, it鈥檚 a form of geopolitical equity that, , 鈥渆mpowers those who seek peaceful coexistence.鈥
France and Saudi Arabia hope to use a world leaders’ gathering to inject聽 urgency into the quest for an聽Israel-Palestine two-state solution.
France and Saudi Arabia hope to use a world leaders’ gathering to inject聽 urgency into the quest for an聽Israel-Palestine two-state solution.
More importantly, it is a backdoor approach to a peace settlement and the long-held goal of a two-state solution.听
After two years of war, the front-door approach to peaceful coexistence is yet another casualty, added to the 1,200 Israelis killed in Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault on Israel and, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, the more than 65,000 Palestinians who have since died in Gaza.
Desperation and frustration over the enduring conflict lies at the heart of the statehood declarations.
Governments are not naturally inclined toward making bold moves on the world stage. Foreign affairs is a field marked by subtle shifts and carefully chosen words over long periods of time.
It is entirely in keeping with policy to condemn the actions of Hamas, a political entity and militia that has run Gaza since being elected in 2006.
But it is unusual for a country like Canada to accuse Israel, a traditional ally, of having 鈥渃aused a devastating and preventable famine in violation of international law,鈥 as Carney did Sunday.
Or for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to as 鈥渦tterly intolerable.鈥 Or for :聽鈥渢his is about the world saying enough is enough.鈥
Short of war, nations generally have two ways to deal with an intolerable situation.
The first is to go after an offending party, to bring it down through boycotts, embargoes, sanctions, shunning and the like.
This worked to bring down South Africa鈥檚 apartheid regime in the 1990s, following four decades of white rule over the black majority.
The world united to isolate and undermine the South African government and its economy, applying crushing pressure that eventually prompted political reforms, the dismantling of the apartheid system and the release from prison of African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela after 27 years.
There has been less unity, and less success, applying that same formula to Russia following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, or to the likes of Iran and North Korea over their nuclear weapons programs.
The second option for intervention is the one now being applied to Palestine.
The United States has dismissed the recognition announcements as “performative.” that “it will not help one Palestinian, it won’t help free one hostage, and it will not help us reach any settlement between Israelis and Palestinians.”
And there are surely many dispirited civilians dodging bombs, famine and Gaza’s many other hazards who will see a declaration on Palestinian statehood a bit like the christening of a ship as it sinks below the water’s surface.
But it represents a plan for the future, a road map to something better, and that is something that has been lacking through these two years of conflict.
Recognition of statehood is premised upon a commitment by the Palestinian Authority to hold elections in 2026, from which Hamas will be barred. Other conditions include the demilitarization of armed factions and militias in Gaza and the West Bank; an end to corruption; stopping payments to the families of Palestinian prisoners; and overhauling the school curriculum, which has been accused of promoting anti-Semitism.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong laid out a slow-and-steady approach to the newly designated statehood.
First, an update to official government documents and websites, policies and procedures. The cosmetic changes 鈥 changing references from the 鈥淥ccupied Palestinian Territories鈥 to the 鈥淪tate of Palestine鈥 鈥 will be followed by more significant and meaningful measures, such as the opening of full-fledged embassies, but only if there is meaningful progress on promised reforms.
The United States鈥 powerful veto at the United Nations Security Council will prevent Palestine from gaining full membership at the UN and becoming a first among equals in the community of nations, at least for the time being.
But it will add an element of pressure to the political calculations of Israel as the Netanyahu government negotiates the way forward.
Already, a number of countries including Canada have instituted , refusing to sell military equipment that could be used in Gaza. have also been imposed on Israelis involved in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, among them .
Last week, European Commission President Ursula聽von der Leyen proposed that the EU, Israel’s largest trading partner,聽聽over what she called a “breach of essential elements relating to respect for human rights and democratic principles.”
And the landmark Abraham Accords, in which several Arab nations agreed to normalize relations with Israel, are now said to be at risk.
This, following an Israeli missile strike targeting Hamas members in Qatar and reported threats from Saudi Arabia that any move by Israel to annex the West Bank 鈥 a potential Israeli response to the Palestinian statehood recognitions鈥斅爓ould end any hope of closer ties.
Netanyahu travels later this week, along with other world leaders, to New York for the UN General Assembly.听But he has shown no signs he is willing to back down, even in the face of a newly elevated adversary.
“There will be no Palestinian state,” , adding that Israel’s formal response to these declarations of recognition would be delivered when he returned from America.
“厂迟补苍诲听产测.”