United Nations, New York
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France and several other Western countries formally declared their recognition of the Palestinian state at the United Nations on Monday in a move to deepen Israel’s international isolation in order to pursue the purpose of Gaza’s biggest war and expand the occupied West Bank settlements.
Monaco, Malta and Luxembourg have declared support at the two-state solutions summit in New York, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia. Belgium also declared its recognition, but said it could only have legal effects if Hamas was removed and hostages returned.
Speaking at the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron told the UN General Assembly that the perception of the Palestinian state is “the only solution that Israel can live in peace,” calling the move “Hamas’ defeat.”
“We must do everything in our power to maintain the potential for solutions for the two states where Israel and Palestine live side by side in peace and security,” Macron said.
He added that the recognition of the rights of the Palestinian people “deprives nothing of the rights of the Israelites that France has supported since day one.”
During Monday’s summit, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the situation in Gaza “unbearable” and said the two states’ solution was “the only way to get out of this nightmare.”
Contrary to criticism, he said that the state for the Palestinians is “a right, not a reward,” and that without it there would be “no peace” in the region.
The French announcement has declared its approval over the weekend by the UK, Canada, Australia and Portugal, joining more than 145 UN member states that already recognize Palestinian states.
However, the move is largely symbolic without support from the US, with the authority to deny membership and has not attended Monday’s summit.
The summit aims to strengthen efforts to revive solutions in the two states and provide a path to peace. However, fears are rising that the Palestinian state is expected to decline after a surge in Israel’s front posts on the West Bank, which was bloody and occupied for nearly two years in Gaza.
The move to recognize the Palestinian state has led to a fierce response in Israel.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the summit, Israeli UN ambassador Danny Danon expressed his disappointment for Macron, saying the United States and Israel would not be participating in this charade.
“On October 8th, you stood with Israel and talked about hostages. Today, you are moving on, you have the hostages behind you,” Danon said.
At a weekly government meeting on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will fight “fight against defamatory propaganda aimed at us” at the United Nations and other international forums.
Israel’s far-right national security minister Itamar Ben Gwil said “immediate measures: immediate application of Jewish and Samaria’s sovereignty and the complete dismantling of the “Palestinian” authorities.” Judea and Samaria are terms commonly used in Israel to refer to the occupied West Bank.
France’s announcement on Monday will not acknowledge the Palestinian state, the United States, Israel’s biggest backer and the sole permanent member of the UN Security Council.
“This latest wave of awareness strengthens how much Israel and the United States have become in this issue compared to other parts of the world,” Daniel Forti, senior UN analyst at Crisis Group, told CNN.
Palestinian attempts to recognize the United Nations as a full member began in 2011. They are currently non-member observer states, a status granted in November 2012.
But the path to becoming a member state requires at least nine of the 15 members of the Security Council to vote in favor, and five permanent members (US, France, China, UK and Russia) to refuse. The United States frequently vetoed its veto in line with Israel’s foreign policy and blocked a resolution from the Security Council last year, which recognized the Palestinian state.
The French announcement is at odds with the United States. President Donald Trump last week opposed Britain’s plan to recognize the Palestinian state, but said he hadn’t said he might put pressure on Israel to end the war.
“Washington knows that recognition can be a hollow gesture if it is not backed up by stronger economic, legal or diplomatic measures to bring Israel back to the negotiation table,” Forti said in relation to various measures, such as Israel, the EU’s actions, or bilateral sanctions on further diplomatic measures at the UN.
The US is “betting that countries have not made any more progress, at least for the time being,” he added.
Monday’s discussion follows the adoption of the New York Declaration by 142 UN members earlier this month. Elise Palace, in a statement on Friday, outlined steps towards a solution for the two states and supported Palestinian Hamas-free government, serves as the basis for its peace plan.
“The September 22 initiative is fixed in the specific commitments that the Palestinian authorities president has conveyed to President Macron. The preservation of the next election within the prison law, reform of the school system, and improved election framework. Therefore, recognition will be presented as a lever that is expected to generate concrete benefits for peace.”
