Is a Palestinian state a fantasy?
Amid war in Gaza, the prospect is at once more relevant than ever and more distant
IN THE diplomacy around the forever war between Israel and the Palestinians, it is customary to describe a Palestinian state as a necessity. Consider the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal, backed by America and all the other countries on the UN’s 15-strong Security Council bar Russia, which abstained. It outlines the global community’s “unwavering” commitment to a two-state solution “where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace”. It also insists that Gaza must be unified with the West Bank under the authority of the Palestinian Authority (PA). Most countries believe that Palestine should be recognised as a full-fledged state immediately, before any peace deal is struck between Israel and the Palestinians. On May 10th 143 countries at the UN supported this idea. On May 28th they were joined by Ireland, Norway and Spain.
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This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Can chaos be turned into a country?”
From the June 22nd 2024 edition
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At the very least, they will delay talks over a ceasefire in Gaza