Symbolic UN meeting breathes new life into Palestinian state

"We cannot wait any longer," said French President Emmanuel Macron when France recognized Palestine as a state on Monday. Macron was speaking at a UN conference aimed at reviving the two-state solution, a conference he co-organized.

The UN already knew this in 1947: the British Mandate of Palestine was to be divided into a state for Palestinians and a state for Jews. Zionists celebrated the UN decision as a victory at the time, Palestinians saw it as a theft, and the Arab world was furious.

The attempt to give Jews their own, secure state after the Holocaust almost immediately erupted into war. Decades later, the conflict remains unresolved – despite multiple wars, countless terrorist attacks, and unspeakable suffering for Palestinians and Israelis.

After eighty years, the discussion at the UN on Monday was once again about the future of Palestine, and once again about those two states. After eighty years, a large majority of UN member states believe there is still no better way out of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than the two-state solution.

Several Western countries seized the opportunity of the meeting to recognize Palestine as a state. The United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia did so on Sunday. France, Belgium, and Luxembourg followed suit on Monday. A total of ten countries are expected to recognize Palestinian statehood this week. This brings the number of UN members recognizing Palestine as a state to 151 of the 193 UN member states, or 78 percent.

Twilight Zone

Palestine is a state in a twilight zone. It may establish diplomatic relations and send athletes to the Olympic Games, but its borders are not recognized. Recognition will not immediately mean anything in practice, but it does keep the idea of ​​two states alive and is a response to the Israeli siege of Gaza, which many countries believe must end immediately.

The heavy political work had already been done long before the UN meeting began. The countries supporting the two-state solution had previously drafted the New York Declaration, in which they pledged to work towards an end to the violence in Gaza and to work towards a lasting solution. Monday's discussion was primarily about political symbolism.

The conference was an initiative of France and Saudi Arabia. Macron chaired the meeting and, with his speech, significantly exceeded the five-minute limit for government leaders. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, ultimately decided it wasn't worth the effort to attend in person and sent his foreign minister.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas was condemned by the US for sending a video message. The Trump administration refused to grant the Palestinian delegation a visa to travel to the UN this week.

"Statehood is a right," said Secretary-General António Guterres, "not a reward." Macron received a standing ovation from Palestinian diplomats when he announced the recognition. "Given my country's historic commitment to the Middle East, to peace between Israelis and Palestinians, I declare today that France recognizes the Palestinian state," Macron said. France will only open an embassy after a ceasefire has been agreed and Hamas has released its hostages.

Attention to Palestinian cause is important

Given the Israeli siege of Gaza, any attention to the future of the Palestinians is crucial, and now there's a broad outline of a plan for a two-state solution. But for now, an independent Palestinian state is unfeasible. At least not with the current government of Benjamin Netanyahu, whose resolute opposition to the idea is supported by Donald Trump.

Netanyahu condemned the recognition, saying earlier that France and the UK were aiding terrorists and ending up on the wrong side of history. Ministers from his cabinet promptly called for annexing the West Bank, Palestinian territory. The United Arab Emirates immediately called this "a red line." By repeatedly establishing Jewish settlements in the area designated for Palestinians, Israel is making a future Palestinian state increasingly difficult. The settlement policy was condemned at the conference.

Netanyahu wants to speak with President Trump this week before formally responding to the UN's political message. The conference was boycotted by Israel and the United States. Trump also wants to speak with leaders of Arab countries this week about the conditions for ending Israel's siege of Gaza. Trump will address the UN General Assembly this Tuesday.

The Netherlands does not (yet) recognize Palestine

The Netherlands did not recognize Palestine, but did explicitly support the renewed attempt to revive the two-state solution. The Netherlands, said Foreign Minister David van Weel (VVD), intends to reserve recognition for later discussion on Palestine's future, after a ceasefire.

Van Weel, who spoke on behalf of the Netherlands at the conference, denied when asked that not recognizing Israel yet is a way to spare Israel.

"I don't think Israel will be spared. And you've also seen the fierce reactions from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv: there are threats of annexation of the West Bank. We find that absolutely unacceptable. I think the most important thing that's needed now, regardless of whether or not to recognize Israel, is pressure on Israel to ensure that they start negotiations," he said.

"We need a very clear signal to Israel and Hamas right now: we need to negotiate now. We need a ceasefire now. You need to sit down at the table. The hostages need to be released, and then we need to start working on that two-state solution as quickly as possible."