Declaration change: Palestinian "recognition parade" increases pressure on Israel
France has officially recognized Palestine. Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, San Marino and Andorra also intend to do this during the UN General Assembly next week. Earlier, this decision was officially made by four countries, including the United Kingdom. Hamas called the recognition of Palestine a "victory" and "the result of the struggle of the Palestinian people." At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said that a Palestinian state would never be created. Meanwhile, the IDF continues its assault on Gaza City. Experts are confident that external pressure on Israel strengthens the position of the country's prime minister. The purpose of recognizing Palestine and how it affects Israel's domestic policy is described in the Izvestia article.
What changes the recognition of Palestine
Speaking at a meeting of the UN General Assembly on September 22, French President Emmanuel Macron declared recognition of Palestine. Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, San Marino and Andorra are planning to take the same step in the near future. At the end of last week, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada and Portugal announced a similar decision. Thus, the total number of countries that recognize the Palestinian State has exceeded 140.
It is worth emphasizing that in the wording of the United Kingdom and Portugal, it was noted that this decision was not a support for the actions of the Hamas group, but a hope for the realization of the idea of "two states." But the Palestinian movement expectedly welcomed the decision of the authorities of these countries, calling it a "victory" and "a well-deserved result of the struggle of the Palestinian people." At the same time, Hamas representatives called for "practical measures" against Israel, including its isolation.
the Gaza strip
According to the UN decision, the territorial framework for Palestine is the Gaza Strip and the West Bank of the Jordan River in the logic of the 1967 lines. The annexation of East Jerusalem, carried out by Israel after 1967 and formalized through Parliament in 1980, is also not recognized by the UN. All relevant documents adopted by the Knesset are recognized as having no legal force.
Russia has consistently advocated a "two states for two peoples" solution to this issue: an independent Palestine within the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, living in peace and harmony with Israel.
Israel's position on this issue also remains consistent, but radically different. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the actions of European countries to recognize Palestine "absurd." According to him, this legitimizes the actions of Hamas and acts as a "reward for terrorism." Tel Aviv categorically rejected the creation of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River and assured that the IDF would not change its actions in the Gaza Strip.
The recognition of a Palestinian state today is an unjustified and disastrous gift to the Hamas movement, Yevgeny Sova, deputy speaker of the Knesset and a member of the Our Home Israel Party (NDI), told Izvestia.
- This is a crazy gift to the leadership of the Palestinian Authority, which did not even bother to condemn the barbaric attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 Israelis. This is a step that will in no way lead to peace and tranquility in the Middle East," the politician stressed.
The Palestinian state itself is not yet viable, Sergei Balmasov, an expert at the Institute of the Middle East, told Izvestia. According to him, Palestine does not have a single territory, a single government, or an established source of income. At its core, it resembles a dependent who lives on subsidies from various international structures and the Arabian monarchies, the expert stressed, adding that concern about the Palestinian issue among European countries is related to their rapid Islamization.
- The decision to recognize Palestine depends on the national character of the government in a particular country. Where leaders who spit on their identity rule, they generally choose the voice of the Arab street, which they already have to a large extent," the expert noted.
In this context, the recognition of Palestine is rather a political gesture by European countries that disagree with Israel's policy in the region. The protracted operation in Gaza and other military operations by the Israeli army in the Middle East are increasing overall tensions. The left-wing electorate within European countries is putting pressure on their governments to tighten their policies towards Tel Aviv. Instability in the Middle East region also carries risks for European governments because it leads to radicalization among migrants who have arrived in Europe.
The situation at Milan Central Train Station during the demonstration, which is part of the nationwide "Let's block everything" protest in solidarity with Gaza.
European governments are losing popular support and trying to fill it with the votes of the left-wing electorate, orientalist Alexander Kargin said in a conversation with Izvestia. According to him, in the acts of recognition themselves, Great Britain, Portugal, Australia and Canada did not fix the specific legal borders of Palestine and the system of government with which they are going to interact. This suggests that these countries do not plan to open embassies of Palestine, the expert noted.
In other words, the "parade of confessions" is a common declarative approach in politics with very limited effect. He will not stop the conflict in Gaza, nor will he change Israel's policy, nor will he change Palestine's status at the UN. In theory, the only benefit from this action could be the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) under the leadership of the Fatah party led by Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank. Over time, she may gain increased contacts with other countries, as well as access to additional funding. In addition, this decision may consolidate the PA as the main actor in Palestinian politics after the end of the conflict in Gaza. But this is a distant and vague prospect.
What European politicians have definitely achieved is the deterioration of relations with Israel. According to Kargin, Tel Aviv may respond by closing the consulates of some countries and announcing the partial annexation of Palestinian territories in the West Bank. However, Israel will not take any critical actions, because the main strategy of the Jewish state is to wait for the right—wing in Europe to come to power and negotiate with them, the orientalist added.
Recognition of Palestine will toughen Israel's policy
On the one hand, the recognition of Palestine is a diplomatic loss for Israel in the international arena. Three years ago, Tel Aviv was moving quite successfully towards normalization of relations with Arab countries, and now it is having problems even with its European partners.
On the other hand, Israel still has a reliable ally in the United States, which not only does not restrain Netanyahu's ambitions in the region, but also actively supports them. Even despite the recent Israeli strike on the capital of another American ally in the region, Qatar, when the IDF was trying to eliminate the top of Hamas, relations between Washington and Tel Aviv have not changed. The military and political support for the Jewish state continued as before, although the White House unequivocally expressed its dissatisfaction with Israel's actions.
On September 9, several explosions occurred in Doha
The US administration may stop its assistance in one case — if the head of the White House is replaced by a Democrat during the next electoral cycle. Theoretically, the aid may stop if someone from the ultra-left of the US Democratic Party comes to power, for example, current member of the House of Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Kargin believes.
But now, with Washington's support, Tel Aviv is able to continue its operation in Gaza.
While European politicians are expressing concern about the situation of the Palestinians, the IDF continues to fulfill its military goals to destroy Hamas. On September 16, the Israeli army launched an assault on Gaza City. As the official representative of the Israel Defense Forces, Anna Ukolova, told Izvestia, the city remains the last major stronghold of the movement, it houses tunnels, command centers and other traffic infrastructure that allows it to conduct military operations against Israel. At the beginning of the assault operation, there were several thousand militants and a large number of civilians in Gaza. The IDF opened a humanitarian corridor on September 17.
— We are making a lot of efforts to minimize the damage to the civilian population. More than 550,000 people have already left the city. And yes, we know that Hamas is obstructing and even threatening the residents of Gaza City so that they do not leave the city," she said.
In response, Hamas accuses the Israeli army of destroying the city and offers various forms of cease-fire. The Palestinian movement also claims that Israel is overstating the number of civilians who have fled the city.
At the same time, the recognition of Palestine and the general diplomatic pressure on Israel from European countries strengthens Netanyahu's position inside the country, Kargin believes. Parliamentary elections are due to be held in the Jewish state in 2026. Under conditions of external pressure, the field for criticism of the prime minister for the opposition is significantly narrowed.
— In Israel, most of the opposition criticizes Netanyahu. They don't like a lot of things. But they do not want to speak out against Israel, and it is clear that for such a large part of the Israeli opposition, the field for criticism of Netanyahu is now, on the contrary, narrowing. Netanyahu will undoubtedly strengthen in this sense," the orientalist noted.
As if to confirm these words, Knesset deputy Sova noted that the Our Home Israel party has many complaints against the Israeli government, but the opposition cannot be against its country, and therefore "such actions against Israel by the UN and a number of countries that take an anti-Israeli position will always be categorically condemned."
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
