Recognition of a Palestinian state stood out as the major issue confronting the 80th United Nations General Assembly this week, in an attempt to find a two-state solution to the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
On Sunday, September 21, Britain, Canada, Portugal, and Australia all officially recognized the state of Palestine. “We are acting to keep alive the possibility of peace and a two-state solution,” Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer told those at the U.N. “That means a safe and secure Israel…alongside a viable Palestinian State. At the moment, we have neither. Ordinary people—Israeli and Palestinian—deserve to live in peace, to rebuild their lives, free from violence and suffering. That’s what the British people desperately want to see.”
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said his nation’s vote was a response to the ongoing threat of Hamas terrorism in Israel, the continued expansion of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and “actions such as the E1 Settlement Plan and this year’s vote by the Knesset calling for the annexation of the West Bank.”
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese framed his nation’s recognition of Palestine as an effort to push for a Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages from the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack. “Today’s act of recognition reflects Australia’s longstanding commitment to a two-state solution, which has always been the only path to enduring peace and security for the Israeli and the Palestinian peoples,” he stated.
Portugal’s Foreign Minister, Paulo Rangel, told a press conference that the increasing number of Arab states that say they would recognize Israel if there were a Palestinian state helped push his government’s decision.
“This is a substantial, a practical, a very pragmatic, and feasible effect of the recognition,” he said. “It was these kinds of conditions that have led to three countries from the Arab region of the Gulf, countries from the European Union, from the West, and also the Palestinian Authority taking steps that some of them have not taken in the past. So, with this very, very practical effect, we think that it was time to recognize.”
‘New York Declaration’ urges action
The push for a Palestinian state continued on Monday, September 22, with France and Saudi Arabia co-hosting a session to support the “New York Declaration,” a resolution that outlines how the two-state solution could be drawn up. It would be based on an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of all hostages held in the Gaza territory, and the establishment of a self-governing Palestinian state that excludes any participation from Hamas.
“Decades of diplomacy have come up short,” U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said during his speech. “The situation is intolerable, and it is deteriorating by the hour. We are here today to help navigate the only way out of this nightmare: A two-state solution, where two independent, sovereign, democratic states—Israel and Palestine––live side-by-side in peace and security within their secure and recognized borders on the basis of pre-1967 lines, with Jerusalem as the capital of both states––in line with international law, U.N. resolutions, and other relevant agreements.”
Guterres added, “We must recommit ourselves to the two-state solution before it is too late. Let’s be clear: statehood for the Palestinians is a right, not a reward, and denying statehood would be a gift to extremists everywhere. Without two states, there will be no peace in the Middle East, and radicalism will spread around the world.”
The formal recognition of a Palestinian state by so many countries is mostly symbolic but will probably provoke strong reactions from Israel and the United States. Both countries boycotted the meeting hosted by France and Saudi Arabia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, set to speak at the General Assembly on Friday, September 26, has announced that he will respond to these declarations upon his return to Israel.
The United States, now the only permanent member of the United Nations Security Council that has not recognized Palestinian statehood, has said that these actions could cause more harm.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that it could “embolden Hamas” and make future peace prospects more difficult. Further, when President Donald Trump addressed the General Assembly on Tuesday, September 23, he insisted that Hamas has remained the obstacle to peace, “As if to encourage continued conflict, some in this body seek to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. This would be a reward for these horrible atrocities, including October 7. But instead of giving in to Hamas’ ransom demands, those who want peace should be united with one message: release the hostages now.”
The United Nations General Assembly is scheduled to run through September 29.