Here Are the Reasons Why Recognition of Palestine Is Such a Big Deal

[Celerity]

Recognition of Palestinian statehood—especially from the U.K.—is not merely symbolic. It has specific ramifications under international law.

https://newrepublic.com/article/200734/starmer-recognition-palestine-big-deal

https://archive.ph/yxyka

A man holds a Palestinian flag outside the Palestine Mission to the U.K., following the flag-raising ceremony to mark the U.K.’s recognition of a Palestinian state on September 22, in London. Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the U.K., alongside Canada and Australia, has officially recognized the state of Palestine.

The recognition this weekend of Palestine by the U.K., Canada, and Australia represents a major victory for the Palestinian people and a long-overdue correction of historic injustice. These countries join an increasing number of nations that now affirm a basic truth: Sovereignty and rights in this land belong to the Palestinian people. As the International Court of Justice has made clear, Israel has no legitimate claim to sovereignty, self-defense, or permanent presence in the occupied Palestinian territory. Recognition of the June 4, 1967, borders reinforces U.N. resolutions that reject Israel’s illegal settlements, its annexation of East Jerusalem, and unilateral changes to Muslim and Christian holy places.

Even while Palestine remains under occupation, recognition creates a vital paradigm shift. As Geneva peace negotiator Nomi Bar-Yaacov observed, “When you’re negotiating state versus state, it’s not the same as negotiating between a state and an unrecognized entity.” This shift moves the discussion away from whose land Palestine is to the relations between the two neighboring states. Peace talks would then focus on permanent borders, refugees, settlements, water rights, and economic cooperation. At the same time, recognition denies legitimacy to Israel’s occupation. As long as Israel persists in its unlawful presence, it will continue to face international opprobrium and fail to gain the legitimacy it seeks.

One of the most absurd arguments by Israel and its supporters is that this recognition by leading Western countries is a reward for terror. Palestinians for a century have been yearning for the right of self-determination. The 2002 Arab peace plan offered Arab and Muslim normalization with Israel if its army withdraws from Arab-occupied territories. Israel has unilaterally ended all negotiations with Palestinians since 2014 and has repeatedly refused offers made by Palestine’s President Mahmoud Abbas, who has been publicly opposed to Hamas and its methods for years. He supported, for example, the French-Saudi plan that calls for disarming Hamas.

Palestine has long met the requirements for statehood. In 2012, the U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to recognize it as a non-member state. The only obstacle to full U.N. membership remains the U.S. veto at the Security Council. Recognition by more states—including France and Portugal, along with the three mentioned above—further undermines Israel’s claim that the West Bank is “disputed” territory, a claim often rooted in religious or ideological justifications.

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[indusurb]

1. I find it ironic that Great Britain and France, probably the largest contributors to the creation of theMiddle East mess

Are now trying to contribute to its solution.

[AloeVera]

2. And it only took them a hundred years and a genocide...

Which btw they are still not willing to even acknowledge let alone try to stop.