So another country recognizes Palestine as a state? So what? Does that change anything on the ground? I don’t think so. Aside from the propaganda and morale boost it gives Hamas such a declaration hasn’t got any real effect. Even giving them a seat at the UN wouldn’t mean much. Why? Because it doesn’t deal with the root cause of the conflict, AND it doesn’t answer a few important questions: What are the borders? Unilaterally declared? 1967 cease-fire lines? Negotiated? (That hasn’t worked between Israel and the PA for years). Where is the seat of government? In a re-divided Jerusalem? Is this a step toward a 2 state solution or a move to replace Israel by an Arab Palestinian state? Such a move has a precedent. China ousted Taiwan from the UN, but Taiwan is still not under Beijing’s rule.
The big problem here is that the countries recognizing “Palestine” ignore the fact that the people running those Palestinian factions are not interested in a Palestinian state as part of a peaceful two state solution. The Palestinians, both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PLO), both explicitly state their objective is to create a Palestinian state IN PLACE of Israel.
Wetherhorn 