The winds of change are blowing in favour of Palestine

Abbey Makoe

The tide is turning – and at a blistering pace – for the recognition of the Palestinian statehood by a growing majority of the nations of the world.

As of this year, 147 out of the 193 UN member-states officially recognize the State of Palestine.

At the end of a widely publicized conference on the Middle East held in New York this week, 15 predominantly Western nations undertook to recognize the Palestinian statehood.

Represented by their ministers of foreign affairs, the following countries nailed their colours to the mast, once and for all. They are: Canada, France, Australia, Ireland, Finland, Iceland, New Zealand, Portugal, Norway, Spain, Slovenia, Malta, San Marino, Andorra, and Luxembourg.

Why does this matter? It matters the most because, for far too long, the plight of the Palestinian people has been ignored by the bulk of the nations of the world. Let me paraphrase: The suffering of the Palestinian people has been aided and abetted by the vast majority of the world’s most influential countries.

The unfolding drastic changes in global relations once more prove a pertinent point: Evil can never triumph over good, no matter how long it takes.

There have been times, times too many to count, when the temptation to give up the pursuit of Palestinian freedom appeared too appealing, and appeasing.

The father of Palestinian freedom, Yasser Arafat, and hundreds of thousands of other Palestinians had lived and died for a free Palestine. As is the case with the blood of freedom fighters, their blood is never shed in vain. It nourishes the course for which men, women, and children give their lives. It expedites the attainment of the goal of liberty and freedom.

The spirit of the more than 60,000 Palestinians who have been mowed down by the machine guns of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) and their drones lives forever. Their blood nourishes the Palestinian tree of liberty. So, too, is the blood of the unaccounted-for thousands of Palestinians whose bodies continue to rot under mountainous heaps of rubble that is a testament to the relentlessly merciless bombardment of the Gaza Strip. The world is finally reawakening from slumber, regaining consciousness, and the sense of righteousness.

Countries such as South Africa deserve a loud mention in defense of the Palestinian course for self-determination. So, too, are countries such as Russia, which, from as far back as the days of the Soviet Union, has recognized the Palestinian statehood and the UN declaration of the two-state solution as the safest pathway to a permanent basis for a peaceful coexistence of the peoples of Israel and Palestine.

The 15 nations wrote in a joint statement that has captured the attention of the international community: “We ...have already recognized, have expressed or express the willingness or the positive consideration of our countries to recognize the State of Palestine, as an essential step towards the two-state solution.”

They explicitly called on the other member-states of the UN to join them in the push for the global recognition of the State of Palestine and the establishment and institution of the two-state solution, where apartheid Israel would cease to keep the Palestinians under the yoke of oppression.

This shift in momentum towards ending the suppression of the rights of millions of Palestinians needs to be maintained.

The fear of US hegemony has been overcome, and it appears to have finally been broken by its one-time enforcers. The public announcement by the French President Emmanuel Macron that Paris will officially recognize the State of Palestine when the UN General Assembly convenes in September shook the diplomatic cover and insulation that Tel Aviv has thus far enjoyed, with the apparent absence of conditions for several decades.

Macron’s pronouncement triggered different reactions from different quarters. First, and predictably, the US President Donald Trump poured scorn on France’s move. But elsewhere – in Britain, to be specific – Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced heightened pressure to emulate his French counterpart. Traditionally, Starmer’s Labour Party has been regarded as leftist and pro-poor, although in modernity, the party’s actions have proved a far cry.

Under immense pressure, the UK Prime Minister followed closely in the footsteps of his French counterpart when he announced that Britain, too, would recognize the State of Palestine when the UN General Assembly convenes in September. His condition not to follow through on his threat would be dependent upon Israel ending the “appalling situation in Gaza”, he said.

Additionally, Starmer demanded that Tel Aviv must stop the expansion of the illegal settlements in the Palestinian territories and allow the UN to resume the distribution of aid in Gaza. Knowing Israel as we know it, the conditions are highly unlikely to be met.

Therefore, we can expect the UK to join the growing chorus of UN member-states recognizing the State of Palestine. This development would inevitably create an unprecedented challenge for both Israel and the country’s Big Brother in the form of the US. The worst-case scenario is that Washington would be as isolated as Israel amidst the rapidly changing geopolitical architecture.

There would be sanctions against the political leadership of Israel and a highly likely trade embargo. The hegemony of the US is gradually crumbling as things stand in the world. The reconfiguration of the international world order has seen the emergence of new poles of power, such as BRICS, and the enhancement of the South-South solidarity.

The Trump administration’s tariff wars have also undermined the status of the US as a dependable leader of the so-called Free World. In addition, the emergence of China as a global leader of note has caused unprecedented schism in the collective Western domination of world affairs. As international relations scholars note, the rapid reconfiguration of global affairs bears implications of monumental significance.

In my view, the sudden changes in diplomatic posture and narrative against the hitherto untouchable Israel are a game-changer. To borrow from McMillan, “the winds of change are blowing”.

The 55 countries that are yet to join the 147 that recognize the State of Palestine would not stick to their positions for too long. Liberty, equality, and freedom are some of the fundamental basis on which a just world order is built.

The denial of the rights of the Palestinians by Israel cannot be permanent. Ask us in South Africa who were born and bred under apartheid. No matter how long oppression lasts, it too has a beginning and an ending. As for the Palestinians, the end of their long Israeli-induced misery is nigh.

The excuse to annihilate the Gazans until the hostages are returned is too myopic an argument. The fundamental causes of apartheid in Israel ought to be tackled. As they say, violence suits all those who have nothing to lose. Life, all of it, is precious. Palestinian lives would soon be put on par with those of the Israelites under international law.

When that happens, the impunity with which Israel has maimed and oppressed their fellow human beings in the land of Palestine will end forever. After all, it is what humanity expects. Strength and power to all nations that insist on a two-state solution where Israel would be held accountable for its excesses wherever they rear their ugly head, as is currently the case in Gaza and everywhere across the besieged Palestinian territories.

*Abbey Makoe is Founder and Editor-in-Chief: Global South Media Network (gsmn.co.za). The views expressed are personal.

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL, Independent Media or The African.