Colonial Origins
For centuries, Palestinians lived under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. After World War I, they became a British protectorate, an arrangement that paved the way for the creation of the State of Israel after World War II.
The victorious powers, spurred by the Holocaust, imposed a partition on Palestine, creating two states: one Jewish and one Arab. However, this partition disproportionately favored Jewish settlers, who represented a third of the population but received 55% of the territory.
Displacement and Resistance
Israeli settlers ignored the partition plan and forcibly expelled more than 700,000 Palestinians from their homes in an event known as the Nakba. The Palestinians fiercely resisted this colonization, facing off against successive colonial powers and the United States, which was seeking a foothold in the Middle East.
Declaration of Independence and Recognition
In 1988, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) declared Palestinian independence, giving up its initial goal of liberating all of historic Palestine. Four weeks later, the PLO recognized Israel’s right to exist, laying the foundation for the Oslo Accords.
Currently, 139 countries recognize the Palestinian state, but not the United States, the United Kingdom or France. Russia and China have recognized it.
International and Legal Presence
Since 2012, Palestine has been a UN observer state and a member of several international conventions. It is also a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the International Criminal Court.
The Meaning of Recognition
Recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state would send a political message to Israel, stating that it will not be allowed to wipe the Palestinians off the map. It would also open new legal avenues to hold Israel accountable for human rights violations.
While recognition would not change the reality on the ground immediately, it would put the 1967 borders and the illegality of the Israeli occupation back on the table.
A Legacy of Colonialism and Decolonization
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is an example of colonialism and decolonization, similar to apartheid in South Africa. The two-state solution, proposed by the Oslo Accords, is unviable due to the presence of more than 700,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank.
The current priority is to stop the genocide and put international pressure on Israel to end its occupation and allow self-determination for the Palestinian people.