Why some countries do not recognize Palestine as a state?

Last Updated on April 27, 2024 2:48 am

A recent vote on granting Palestine full membership in the UN Security Council; which the United States vetoes; But 12 member states of the Security Council voted in favor of the resolution, including three US allies – France, Japan and South Korea. The UK and Switzerland abstained from voting on it.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas described the US veto as “immoral”. Again, Israel calls this proposal of the United Nations shameful.

How the UN votes

The vote was organized by the UN Security Council at the request of Palestine for full membership. The council’s 15 members were called on to vote on a draft resolution, tabled by Algeria, calling for “the Palestinian state to be granted membership of the United Nations”.

Five countries are permanent representatives of the Security Council and each has veto power. The remaining 10 non-permanent member states of the Council.

If the resolution were passed by the Security Council, it would be voted on in the General Assembly and would require a two-thirds vote from the Palestinian membership.

But that effort was thwarted by Israel’s longtime ally, the United States. Any draft resolution in the Security Council would require the votes of all five members – the US, the UK, Russia, China and France – to be blocked if one of the members vetoed it.

After the vote, US Deputy Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood told the council that the US strongly supports the two-state solution. Our vote is not against a Palestinian state, but rather that it should only come through negotiations on all sides.

What is the recognition of the Palestinian territories in the United Nations?

Not a member, the Palestinians are currently recognized as an observer state. In 2011, Palestine applied for full membership of the United Nations, but it was not accepted due to insufficient support from the Security Council and has never been voted on.

In 2012, Palestine was recognized as a ‘non-member observer state’ by vote at the UN General Assembly, allowing them to participate in the session’s debates, although they do not have voting rights in the UN.

But the 2012 decision—celebrated across the West Bank and Gaza Strip and criticized by Israel and the United States—opens the way for Palestine to join other international bodies, including the UN’s highest court, the International Criminal Court (ICC). Palestine became a member in 2015.

Khaled Elgindi, director of the Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs Program at the Washington-based Middle East Institute think tank, said full UN membership would increase the Palestinians’ diplomatic capacity, allowing them to bring forward proposals directly, vote in the general session and perhaps eventually become members of the Security Council. can be

But none of this will bring about a two-state solution — that will only come when Israel’s occupation ends, he said.

But even if Thursday’s vote had gone in favor of Palestine, “it would not have achieved much for the Palestinian Authority,” said Gilbert Akhkar, professor of development studies and international relations at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.

It would have been a largely symbolic victory, he said, the recognition of an imaginary ‘Palestinian state’ versus the reality of a weak ‘Palestinian Authority’, based on a small piece of land captured in 1967 and entirely dependent on Israeli will. A truly independent and sovereign Palestinian state is still a long way off.

Who recognizes Palestine as a state?

In all, about 140 countries recognize the Palestinian state, including members of the United Nations Arab Group, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Non-Aligned Movement.

But the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, there are many other countries that do not recognize the Palestinian state.

But last week, Australia said it could recognize a Palestinian state “to move towards a two-state solution” through talks with Israel.

Meanwhile, Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia issued a separate statement on the sidelines of an EU summit last month, saying they would work together to recognize a Palestinian state when “the time and circumstances are right.”

Hugh Lovatt, senior policy fellow in the Middle East and North Africa program at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said, “However, one question remains, and that is if the United States blocks the path to UN recognition, will other members, especially these European states, move forward with bilateral relations with Palestine?”

Why some countries do not recognize Palestine?

Countries that do not recognize Palestine as a state, the reason behind their decision is usually – not to reach an understanding of Palestine through negotiations with Israel.

‘Although support alone is sufficient for the establishment of a Palestinian state; But the United States insists on direct negotiations between Israel and Palestine, which has actually given Israel the ability to block the path to Palestinian independence’, says Fawaz Gerges, professor of international relations and Middle East politics at the London School of Economics.

Peace talks began in 1990, followed by the idea of ​​a two-state solution where Israel and Palestine could live side by side in separate countries.

But since the early 2000s, peace talks have gradually failed, and in 2014, the Israeli-Palestinian talks in Washington completely failed. Questions remain about the borders of the two countries, the nature of a future Palestinian state, what will happen to Jerusalem and the future of Palestinian refugees.

Israel unequivocally opposes Palestine’s vote to become a member of the United Nations. Gilad Erdan, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, told AFP in early April that the talks were “a kind of victory for the genocidal terrorists”. He further added that if this resolution is passed, it will be like a reward for the terrorist attack by Hamas on October 7.

Countries with warm relations with Israel are also aware that recognizing a Palestinian state could upset their other allies.

Many, including some supporters of Israel, believe that Palestine does not fall within the definition of a state according to the Montevideo Convention of 1933. For example, permanent population, a fixed border, government and the ability to communicate with other countries.

However, many prefer a more flexible definition of state and insist on recognition by other states.