Netanyahu opposes the two-state solution called for by a number of his Western allies (Reuters)

An article in the British newspaper "The Guardian" warned that what US President Joe Biden is promoting regarding a Palestinian state does not contain any mention of Resolution 242, but rather may be limited to a statelet similar to the Bantustans in South Africa during the apartheid regime, stressing that 3 things are not... It must be the basis for the prospective state.

The newspaper - in an article written by H. A. Hellyer, who is an associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - drew attention to British Foreign Secretary David Cameron’s surprise announcement of the possibility of the United Kingdom recognizing a Palestinian state before the end of the peace process with Israel, and the United States also saying that it would It could recognize the Palestinian state after the war in Gaza.

The writer believed that this trend towards recognition of the Palestinian state, if it is based on Security Council Resolution No. 242, which is based on the principle that Israel’s withdrawal from the lands it occupied in 1967 is a precondition for peace, then it will be consistent with other moves that have been taken in this direction, Most notably, the Arab Peace Initiative of 2002 was accepted by all members of the League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, including Iran, confirmed its support for it, although Israel still rejects it.

However, the state that Washington is talking about - according to Hellyer - may not contain any mention of Resolution 242, and what the US President is promoting appears to be a state similar to the Bantustans in South Africa during apartheid, or Russian puppet states in eastern Ukraine, which means that it is not country at all.

This is why the writer says that the new Palestinian state must be based on three foundations, which are that the land cannot be seized by force, the necessity of removing and rejecting the extreme right in Israel, and carrying out real reform of the Palestinian National Council.

Legitimizing the occupation

If such a Palestinian statelet is established, it will not be viewed by the Palestinians, the surrounding region, or even the international community as Israel’s fulfillment of its obligations under international law, nor as recognition of the Palestinians’ aspirations to establish a state, according to the writer, who believes that this step will be seen as an endorsement of legitimacy. On the occupation, and this will not help Israel and its allies obtain support within the region.

As for the path to progress, it is based on three indispensable pillars, according to Heller, the first of which is that Resolution “242 in 2024” remain the cornerstone, not only for addressing the Palestinian issue, but also for preserving the principle of rejecting force as a means of seizing land, because the international community He watches what the West is doing in Israel and Palestine, and compares it to what Russia and Ukraine are doing, and we cannot allow contradiction to be the prevailing norm today.

The second pillar is to undertake real reform of the Palestinian National Council, the legislative body of the Palestine Liberation Organization, to make it accountable, more democratic and more representative.

Finally, the Israeli extreme right represented in the current government must be rejected, “to ensure that our behavior reflects our values, and therefore the West must work to marginalize and isolate the Israeli political forces that work to undermine the safety of the people of Israel, as well as global interests in the region.”

Source: Guardian