Norway, Spain and Ireland announced their recognition of the State of Palestine on the 22nd. Not long ago, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas and other countries also announced their recognition of the State of Palestine. Due to the obstruction of the United States, the process of establishing a Palestinian state has been blocked for a long time. The recent wave of "recognition" once again reflects that more countries have stood on the side of fairness and justice, reflecting the will of the international community.

The establishment of an independent state is the long-cherished wish of the Palestinian people. In 1988, the Palestine Liberation Organization announced the establishment of the State of Palestine, which was recognized by more than 130 countries, but not most Western countries. Therefore, the departure of the three European countries from the United States this time sends a strong signal: the United States is becoming increasingly isolated on the Palestinian-Israeli issue.

Formal membership of the United Nations is a key step for Palestine to establish an independent state. As early as September 2011, Palestine submitted an application, but the Security Council's action was shelved due to opposition from the United States. In April this year, Palestine's application to become a formal member of the United Nations was again ruthlessly rejected by the United States in the Security Council. UN Secretary-General Guterres recently called on the international community to help Palestine realize its long-cherished wish of establishing a sovereign and independent state.

 

This is a photo of Palestinian children taken in a refugee camp in Khan Yunis, a southern city in the Gaza Strip, on May 22. Photo by Rizek Abduljawad, Xinhua News Agency. The Palestinian people have been unable to realize their legitimate national rights to establish an independent state, and the historical injustice they have suffered has not been corrected. The "two-state solution" has been delayed in implementation, which has become the crux of the repetitive Palestinian-Israeli conflict. For many years, Israel, as the occupying power, has continuously eroded the foundation of the "two-state solution". The current conflict, which has lasted for more than seven months, is more likely to completely destroy the prospects of the "two-state solution". Since the outbreak of a new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict in October last year, both sides have suffered heavy casualties. Among them, Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip have caused more than 35,700 Palestinian deaths and nearly 80,000 injuries.

Supporting and advancing the process of Palestinian independence and statehood, and providing strong guarantees for the implementation of the "two-state solution" and the realization of lasting peace in the Middle East are the strong voice of the international community and the common responsibility of all parties. The Palestinian issue is the core of the Middle East issue, and it is related to peace and stability in the Middle East and international fairness and justice. Irish Prime Minister Harris posted on social media on the 22nd that recognizing the State of Palestine is a decision that clearly supports the "two-state solution" and is the only reliable way for Israel, Palestine and its people to achieve peace and security, which will contribute to peace and reconciliation in the Middle East. Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez mentioned in his speech that day that Spain made this decision only for "peace and justice". Recently, the 10th Emergency Special Session of the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution with an overwhelming majority, reaffirming that the Palestinian people have the right to self-determination, including independent statehood, confirming that Palestine is qualified to become a full member of the United Nations, and recommending that the Security Council re-examine Palestine's application for membership in the United Nations, which reflects the will of the international community.

 

On May 22, thick smoke rose from burning tires in Jenin, a city in the West Bank. According to a statement issued by the Palestinian Ministry of Health on the 22nd, the Israeli army carried out military operations in the West Bank city of Jenin for the second consecutive day, killing 8 people and injuring 24 people. Photo by Ayman Nobani, Xinhua News Agency. More realistically, this wave of "recognition" is seen as conducive to saving the "two-state solution" and will push more interested countries to "take a step forward." Hugh Lovat, a senior policy researcher at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said that recognizing the State of Palestine is a concrete step towards a viable political path towards the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. The New York Times pointed out in an article that the recognition of the State of Palestine by the three European countries reflects that more and more countries believe that recognizing Palestinian sovereignty does not have to wait until Palestine and Israel reach a permanent peace agreement. Arab League Secretary-General Geit issued a statement welcoming the decision of the three European countries and calling on those countries that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine to take "brave and principled" actions.

Although more and more countries have stood on the side of fairness and justice, Palestine still has a long way to go before it can establish an independent state, and the biggest obstacle is the United States. On the 22nd, the US media quoted a US official as saying that the US government opposes the decision of the three European countries to recognize the State of Palestine. The United States has always claimed that the way out of the Palestinian-Israeli issue lies in the "two-state solution", but on the other hand, it refuses to recognize the existence of Palestine as a country, standing in opposition to the international community, international morality and human conscience, turning a deaf ear to the call for justice and acting on its own, calling for a ceasefire while supplying arms; talking about rescue while setting up obstacles, leaving an extremely disgraceful record in history. The British "Guardian" commented that the trend of European countries recognizing the State of Palestine will have an important impact, indicating that the United States' "leadership" in the Palestinian-Israeli peace process is weakening.

The historical injustice suffered by the Palestinian people needs to be corrected urgently, and the top priority is to promote a ceasefire between Palestine and Israel and achieve regional peace. Norwegian Foreign Minister Eide said that Norway hopes that the decision to recognize the State of Palestine will encourage both sides to restart peace talks. It is expected that this wave of "recognition" will encourage more countries to show political courage, follow international calls, make the right choice, and help the peace process between Palestine and Israel.