The recognition of a Palestinian state by some of Israel’s longest-standing western allies is a landmark moment. It underscores the scale of global outrage, and desperation, over Israel’s near two-year war in Gaza and its creeping annexation of the occupied West Bank.
On Sunday the UK, Canada, Australia and Portugal took the historic step. France and others were set to follow suit on Monday. Significantly, three G7 members are joining more than 140 other nations in formally recognising a Palestinian state, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government is bent on destroying any lingering aspirations for a two-state solution to the protracted conflict.
Recognition is largely symbolic and will not change the conditions on the ground in the Palestinian territories or hasten an end to the catastrophic war that Israel is waging. Crucially, the US, the one power with leverage over Israel, opposes the moves. But, when the global south believes a hypocritical west has been turning a blind eye to the awful suffering in the besieged strip and Israel’s actions in the West Bank, it reinforces international backing for Palestinians’ legitimate right to statehood. It bolsters the notion that the only sustainable solution to the crisis lies in Palestinians and Israelis reaching a settlement that addresses both sides’ legitimate concerns and allows them to coexist side by side in peace.