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“France intends to recognise a Palestinian state in September at the United Nations General Assembly, President Emmanuel Macron said [last] Thursday… Macron, who unveiled the decision on X, published a letter sent to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas confirming France's intention to press ahead with Palestinian recognition and work to [convince] other partners to follow suit.” Reuters
“[UK] Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Tuesday Britain was prepared to recognise a Palestinian state in September… Starmer said Britain would make the move unless Israel took substantive steps to allow more aid to enter Gaza, made clear there will be no annexation of the West Bank and committed to a long-term peace process that delivers a ‘two-state solution’ - a Palestinian state co-existing in peace alongside Israel.” Reuters
“Canada plans to recognize the State of Palestine at a meeting of the United Nations in September, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Wednesday… Carney said the planned recognition was based in part on repeated assurances from the Palestinian Authority, which represents the State of Palestine at the U.N., that it was reforming its governance and is willing to hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas ‘can play no part.’” Reuters
“U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday in a bid to salvage Gaza truce talks and tackle a humanitarian crisis… The U.S. State Department also announced sanctions on officials of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization, saying the groups were undermining peace efforts… Witkoff will travel to Gaza on Friday to inspect food aid delivery as he works on a final plan to speed deliveries to the enclave, the White House said.” Reuters
Here’s our recent coverage of the situation in Gaza. The Flip Side
The left is generally critical of the decision to recognize a Palestinian state, arguing that it will not help Gazans.
“[These announcements] are almost comical, as if world leaders are having to find new, ever bolder ways to avoid actually ending their material support for Israel’s genocide. (In the case of the UK, the announcement is extra pathetic, with the spineless Starmer announcing he would revoke the recognition offer if Israel changed course.)…
“Israeli leaders aren’t being secretive about the dreadful endgame of all of this. A little over a week ago, the head of its spy agency visited Washington to discuss a plan for the ‘evacuation’ — in other words, the ethnic cleansing — of Gaza, which will involve putting most of whatever’s left of the Palestinian population in a concentration camp, before they are deported to three countries Israel has been in talks with…
“Now there are reports Netanyahu is also set to propose formally annexing Gaza… If it takes anywhere near as long for the world’s powerful to actually act on their outrage as it did for them to muster it in the first place, it will be too late: there will be no more Gaza, and no more Palestinians left inside it, for them to save.”
Branko Marcetic, Jacobin Magazine
“For Palestinians, the day after France’s announcement will be much like the day prior. Israel will continue to bomb, starve and seek to ethnically cleanse Gaza; it will carry on land grabs, home demolitions, displacement of Palestinians, and will further entrench its presence in the West Bank…
“Already, close to 150 countries recognize the State of Palestine, barely 20 fewer than the number that recognize Israel. The entity so recognized has no defined territory, no effective government, no sovereignty. It has, in short, none of the attributes that define a state. To the Palestinians will go empty statements and diplomatic gimmickry. To Israelis, the land, the resources, the wealth.”
Hussein Agha and Robert Malley, The Guardian
Some argue, “Israelis and Palestinians live in virtually equal numbers in a de facto Israeli state that simultaneously denies both citizenship and independence to the overwhelming number of Palestinians… These two groups of people cannot live in peace unless both enjoy self-determination and citizenship…
“International recognition of a Palestinian state in the occupied territories is a fraught but imperative step to preserve the only pathway for these two long-suffering peoples to live together in neighboring states in peace, security and dignity. France has shown the way. Others, including the United States, should follow.”
Hussein Ibish, MSNBC
The right is generally critical of the decision to recognize a Palestinian state, arguing that it rewards Hamas for its actions.
The right is generally critical of the decision to recognize a Palestinian state, arguing that it rewards Hamas for its actions.
“France has decided that the best way to respond to Palestinians murdering 1,200 Israeli civilians and promising to commit genocide against Jews is to reward them with their own terrorist state… Nothing says ‘lasting peace in the Middle East’ quite like giving legitimacy to a country run by terrorists that regularly launches missiles into civilian populations with the goal of killing as many Jews as possible…
“On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas invaded Israel and brutally murdered every man, woman, and child they could. Hamas slaughtered some 1,200 civilians, and is still holding others hostage. Israel responded by trying to kill the terrorists responsible. France has responded by saying those terrorists deserve to be the government of an official, recognized country.”
Zachary Faria, Washington Examiner
“Many people seek their own state: Somalilanders in Somaliland; the Southern Movement in Yemen; Kanaks in New Caledonia; Catalans in Spain; Biafrans in southeastern Nigeria; Tigray in Ethiopia; and Anglophones in Cameroon. Kurds in Turkey still want their freedom and will likely take arms again if the Turkish government does not take advantage of its ceasefire offer to negotiate sincerely…
“With the world ignoring peaceful movements in Somaliland and South Yemen but prioritizing Palestine due to Hamas terrorism and ‘Pallywood’ media spectacles, future aspirants for freedom will conclude the best way to achieve it is by following the Palestinian model… If terrorism is a wildfire, Starmer and [Macron] have chosen to pour gasoline rather than water on it.”
Michael Rubin, Washington Examiner
Some argue, “Macron’s announcement really does matter, and it has perceptibly shifted the conversation among world leaders. It has also done so in the media and among the general public. How many Americans know that some 147 of the UN’s 193 member states (including 11 European Union nations) already recognize the state of Palestine? Thanks to media coverage of Macron’s announcement, many Americans now do…
“Here’s another fact that may interest them: Of the top 20 most populous nations in the world, only the United States and two of its vassals—Japan and Germany—do not recognize Palestinian statehood… Of course, Israel and its most loyal American supporters have rejected Macron’s solution as impractical and somehow dangerous. But their condemnations only reveal how unserious they are about finding a humane solution to the Israel–Palestine dispute.”
Andrew Day, American Conservative
The Timeless Torches Are Dance Warriors. We Need Them.
New York Times (gift link)
