Spain, Norway, Slovenia, and Ireland did the morally right thing by recognizing the State of Palestine. Other nations that haven't recognized Palestine should follow their lead.
The European Union nations of Spain, Norway, and Ireland have decided to recognize the State of Palestine, increasing its count of UN members recognizing Palestine to 143. Slovenia’s recognition takes it 144. Two non-members also recognize Palestine: Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic and Vatican City. Counting those two, 146 different entities recognize Palestine as an independent state.
A great majority of nations that recognize Palestine also recognize Israel as part of the support of a two-state solution.
It is time for other nations, such as Canada, Mexico, France, United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States to recognize the State of Palestine.
The AP on the impact of Ireland, Spain, and Norway’s recognition of Palestine (05.22.2024):
A U.N. partition plan in 1947 called for the creation of a Jewish state alongside a Palestinian state, but Palestinians and the wider Arab world rejected it because it would have given them less than half of the land even though Palestinians made up two-thirds of the population.
The Arab-Israeli war the following year left Israel with even more territory, Jordan in control of the West Bank and east Jerusalem, and Egypt in control of Gaza.
In the 1967 war, Israel seized all three territories, and decades of on-again, off-again peace talks have failed.
The United States, Britain and other Western countries have backed the idea of an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel as a solution to the Middle East’s most intractable conflict, but they insist Palestinian statehood should come as part of a negotiated settlement. There have been no substantive negotiations since 2009.
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While dozens of countries have recognized a Palestinian state, none of the major Western powers has done so, and it is unclear how much of a difference the move by the three countries might make.
Even so, their recognition would mark a significant accomplishment for the Palestinians, who believe it confers international legitimacy on their struggle. Norway said it will upgrade its representative’s office for Palestine to an embassy but it was not clear what Ireland and Spain will do.
Matthew Mpoke Bigg at NY Times (05.22.2024):
The decision by three European countries — Ireland, Norway and Spain — to recognize a Palestinian state fits into a long-term goal of Palestinian leaders to secure diplomatic acceptance, but it appears that the immediate practical impact will be limited.
Broadly speaking, recognizing a state means declaring that it meets the conditions of statehood under international law. It typically opens a path to setting up diplomatic relations and an embassy there. But the European countries appeared to be mostly concerned with expressing support for Palestinians and sending a message to Israel at a time of deepening international concern about its conduct of the war.
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To date, around 140 countries, mainly outside Western Europe, have recognized a Palestinian state, according to the Palestinian Authority’s website. These do not include the United States, Israel’s most significant ally, or Britain, France or Germany.
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This month, the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a resolution declaring that Palestinians qualify for full membership status at the United Nations. The Assembly can only grant full membership with the approval of the Security Council, and the United States would almost inevitably wield its veto power to kill such a measure, as it did last month.
Even though a majority in the General Assembly supports Palestinian statehood, the resolution was the first time the body had voted on the issue of full membership, reflecting solidarity with Palestinians that appears to have deepened in some nations as a result of the war in Gaza.
Cathrin Schaer at Deutsche Welle (DW) News (05.22.2024):
What are the advantages?
Recognition would give a Palestinian state more political, legal and even symbolic power.
In particular, Israeli occupation or annexation of Palestinian territory would become a more serious legal issue.
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Possibly the biggest advantage for Palestinians, however, is symbolic. A Palestinian state might eventually take Israel to an international court of some kind, but that would be a long way down the line, said Philip Leech-Ngo, a Middle East analyst based in Canada and author of the 2016 book "The State of Palestine: A Critical Analysis."
The difference between recognition and a two-state solution
Despite coming with legal and symbolic advantages, recognition of a Palestinian state wouldn't immediately change anything on the ground.
It is morally right for nations to recognize the State of Palestine, just like what Norway, Ireland, Slovenia, and Spain did recently, along with the four Caribbean nations of Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Bahamas.