In May 2024, Spain, Ireland, and Norway recognized a Arab state, bringing the total number of nations that do so to 144. The United States is certainly a part of them.
Since the Clinton administration in the 1990s, the US has consistently favored a two-state option, meaning that both Israel and a Palestinian condition may be recognized as standard nations. President Joe Biden reiterated that position at his July 11, 2024, news conference following the NATO summit, when he said,” There’s no ultimate answer other than a two-state solution”.
The United States has continuously prevented the Palestinian territories from being fully recognized as a nation, at least in terms of symbolism, by preventing them from becoming the 194th part condition of the UN.
Palestine is a continuous watcher at the UN, and the Palestinian Authority is there to represent it. Palestine can enter most meetings because it is a continuous observer, but it is unable to cast a vote on any recommendations or international agreements.
I am a former US minister and a professor of global affairs. Understanding this dilemma calls for a little story.
In the beginning
When the state of Israel was created in 1948, it was soon attacked by its Arab neighbors Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, which refused to recognize its right to exist, but did little to create a Palestinian state. The area has been plagued by succeeding wars and less hostilities ever since.
Over the years, the US has provided substantial assistance to Israel, in terms of politicians, wealth and military assistance. The US has tried to move the leaders of Israel, Palestine, and the Arab countries toward a time when they could all coexist peacefully at the same time.
Israeli officials and other figures have argued that the discussion of Arab statehood favors Hamas because of the recent conflict in Gaza, which has prompted Israeli politicians and others to claim. However, the conflict will eventually stop and the root of the issue may remain unresolved. And, I believe that unless it is resolved, the end of the war will only be transitory.
The leaders of other nations that help in their negotiations would then have to address a lot of issues, including those from Palestine and Israel. The edges of a Palestinian position, the right of some Palestinians to reclaim the property they were forced to flee in 1948, and the position of Jerusalem, which both Palestinians and Israelis demand may get their money, would be the three most crucial factors.
The US has much embraced a two-state answer, despite making efforts to promote peace-progress without dictating the result. Erstwhile president Donald Trump, for example, said in 2018 that,” I like a two-state option. That’s what I think works best … That’s my feeling”. Another presidents, like George W Bush and Barack Obama, have even tried to push the parties toward conversations.
However, the US has repeatedly blocked UN efforts to change Palestine’s position from spectator to complete member state despite the American government’s stated goal for peace to include the establishment of a Palestinian state in concept.
A Palestinian condition would have its status recognized as a nation in the eyes of the international community, which may give it more credibility than just a symbolic change.
The US blocked that from happening as late as April 2024, when it vetoed a “resolution on Arab independence” in the Security Council, which had review new UN people.
The US is one of the five permanent members that make up the Security Council, alongside France, the United Kingdom, China and Russia. In contrast to the 10 different rotating committee members who are limited to voting, these nations each have the right to veto any statement or declaration the government attempts to make.
What would the condition of be like?
Successful intervention is necessary to achieve peace because it will be challenging to reach deal on the boundaries of a Palestinian state and other problems. The US has mostly forfeited any part in that process, but, by its isolated and uneven position.
In May 2024, a White House spokesman stated that the US believes that sovereignty should occur” through strong negotiations between the parties” rather than “unilateral recognition.”
There are two problems with that logic. Second, 144 countries at the UN have now recognized a Palestinian status as a nation, making recognition almost punitive. And in 1948, Israel was created by the UN.
Next, Israel currently has the most extraordinary, right-wing authorities in its history. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made it abundantly clear that he opposes any position in Palestine. His coalition may soon crumble if he were to consent to even discussing the possibility of one, and he would be forced out of business.
Netanyahu for ages advocated for other nations to give hundreds of millions of dollars to Hamas, knowing that the group did not deal in order to avoid being pressured to discuss independence. He did it to stifle the Palestinian Authority, which is in charge of the West Bank and is talking.
The origins of contradiction
The US has finally refused to allow a small move forward in the direction of a two-state solution, which it claims is the only way to a long-lasting peace, even before the existing Gaza war. And why does the US continue to cooperate with an Israeli authorities that will never permit that to occur?
The reason is simple – local elections.
While 89 % of Jewish Americans said in April 2024 that they support Israel’s reasons for fighting Hamas, the Gaza war has prompted some rifts in the Jewish-American community.
National Jews have long been fervent supporters of the Democratic Party, and their support for Israel continues to be crucial. Believing that help may rise, but, centuries ago Israel began to reach out to evangelical Christians. They are unwavering supporters of the Republican Party’s core. Many of them have converted to the religion by denying affiliation to Israel.
Democrats and some Democrats are currently battling it out to determine who is a better friend of Israel. The House of Representatives rapidly passed legislation that would allow anyone who assists the ICC prosecutes Israelis in an unusually bipartisan effort in May 2024 when the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor requested arrest warrants for Netanyahu, another Israeli leader, and Hamas leaders.
President Bill Clinton did n’t support a two-state solution until his final weeks in office to prevent that sort of political squab.
You may wonder why this matters given the political challenges of the ongoing conflict. A Palestinian position joining the UN as a member state did not recognize it as a nation. Before reaching an agreement, Israelis and Palestinians would have to approach one.
However, those who dream of having their personality recognized and their need to eventually establish a nation of their own may have a glimmer of hope given this UN status.
There is no possibility that a major policy change will occur while the US is preparing for a national election campaign. However, more people on both sides would need to consider things differently if peace is ever to be achieved, and I think that bringing a Arab state into existence at least on paper would do so more than anything else the US could accomplish.
Dennis Jett is Professor of International Affairs, Penn State
This content was republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original post.