THE Association for Welfare, Community and Dialogue (Acid), part of the global family, welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement to recognise Palestinian statehood.
It is particularly significant because France is a major power in the European Union, and its recognition of a Palestinian statehood could inspire other reluctant EU nations to follow suit.
In the United Kingdom, more lawmakers have called on the British government to recognise a Palestinian state as pressure mounts on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to take concrete action amid Israel’s war on Gaza.
Some 221 MPs from across the political spectrum have signed an open letter calling on Starmer’s Labour government to recognise a Palestinian state in advance of the upcoming United Nations conference on Palestine.
It is surprising that UK MPs across the political divide have taken a stand since Britain is largely responsible for planting the Zionist state in the land of Palestine in the 1940s.
The UK has a historical duty to correct the wrongdoing that has created a high magnitude of suffering in the Middle East.
Last year, Ireland, Norway and Spain recognised a Palestinian state with its borders to be demarcated as they were before the 1967 Middle East War, when Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
The Vatican, which represents the Catholic world, has consistently called for peace, and it has used a stronger language, like barbaric, in condemning the war.
What is particularly interesting is to see lively debates by prominent conservative and liberal commentators in the US, who are beginning to question their nation’s blind loyalty to Israel despite the atrocities it has committed.
It is clear that the indiscriminate bombing of civilians and the use of hunger as a weapon of war in Gaza, combined with the violence and forced evictions of Palestinians by Jewish settlers in the West Bank, have awakened the conscience of the Western public.
While it is imperative for European powers to recognise a Palestinian state, it is equally vital to take decisive action at the UN to declare expansionist Zionism as ethnoracism, a threat to world peace.
The current regime in Israel has all the characteristics of far-right ultranationalism, including elements resembling fascism, such as an emphasis on national and ethnic supremacy.
It is important to separate Zionist ideology and behaviour from the majority of the Jewish population, who are also suffering from insecurity due to endless conflict and war perpetrated by their government.
The reluctance of the US and Zionist leaders to mention Palestinians by nationality in press conferences shows how oppressive and unjust these hegemonic powers have become.
In this context, the declaration of Palestinian self-determination by the international community has become imperative.
This should be followed by diplomatic and economic pressure on Israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire.
It is hoped that the awakening conscience in the West and the world at large will ultimately bring about a just and comprehensive settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Ronald Benjamin
Secretary
Acid
