Much water has passed under the bridges since the state of Israel was established in the heart of the Arab–Muslim world, pursuant to the Balfour Declaration, through the partitioning of Palestinian land into Jewish, Arab, and international areas (Jerusalem and Bethlehem). Fifty-five per cent of the territory was allocated to Jews, with the remainder going to Arabs. In 1947, Britain authorised the United Nations to address the Palestine issue. As the British mandate over Palestine terminated in 1948, Israel declared independence as a nation, triggering a military conflagration between Israel and the Arab states. Israel prevailed in this conflict. In the war with the Arab states in 1967, it occupied chunks of Arab land. Since then, it has resolutely refused to vacate these territories to pave the way for a two-state solution, ignoring all UN calls, including Security Council Resolutions 242 (1967) and 338 (1973).
The Middle East has long been the most volatile region in the world, posing a threat to global peace. The continued deadlock in finding a just solution to the Palestinian issue has historically been caused by a variety of factors. According to Jimmy Carter, these include the appropriation of Palestinian land by Israel, the reluctance of some Arab states to co-exist with Israel, the refusal of both sides to join peace talks without onerous preconditions, the persistent lack of sustained efforts by the United States to pursue peace based on international law and prior agreements ratified by Israel, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism, and the Sunni–Shia schism in the Middle East. Of these, the persistent lack of sustained US efforts to establish peace appears to be the single most important factor.
The continuous political, strategic, and economic support to Israel by the United States and major European countries encouraged and emboldened Israeli leaders to overstep UNSC Resolutions 242 and 338, as well as the Oslo Accords signed by PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in September 1993, thereby undermining the two-state solution. The Oslo Accords laid the basis for a permanent solution to the Palestinian imbroglio, cautiously moving towards a two-state framework. Both sides mutually recognised each other, agreed to limited Palestinian self-governance in parts of the Arab land, including the West Bank and Gaza and pledged phased negotiations to settle borders, refugees, and the status of Jerusalem. However, the accords were silent on a deadline for Israel to vacate the occupied Arab territories. This deficiency prompted many Arab and Palestinian leaders to question the peace process.
Disillusioned European countries, including close US allies such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and France, have begun recognising the Palestinian state, openly defying US policy
The peace process faced formidable challenges, including violence that led to the tragic assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the outbreak of the second Intifada. Prime Minister Rabin was assassinated in November 1995 by a right-wing Israeli whose declared goal was to interrupt the peace process. Despite this violence and outrageous actions by extremist Israelis, there was substantial support for the Oslo Accords among the more moderate and serious segments of the Israeli population. President Clinton writes in his memoir, My Life, that Shimon Peres, who succeeded Rabin as Prime Minister, came to see him for the first time in office to reaffirm Israel’s intention to hand over Gaza, Jericho, and other cities, as well as 450 villages in the West Bank, to the Palestinians by Christmas, and to release at least another 100 Palestinian prisoners before the upcoming Israeli elections.
Some earlier Israeli leaders, including Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin, and Shimon Peres, were willing to co-exist with Arabs in a two-state framework. They made serious efforts to advance the peace process, incurring the wrath of ultra-right Jews and religious extremists. Later leaders such as Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Naftali Bennett came to power through populist slogans bordering on political extremism, painting a dire picture of supposed Arab atrocities and skilfully playing the victimhood card.
Holding Arabs in contempt, these leaders did all they could to sabotage the two-state peace process: ignoring and sidestepping UNSC resolutions and the Oslo Accords, supporting factionalism within the PLO, backing Hamas to split the Palestinian struggle for independence, refusing to vacate Arab lands occupied in wars, expanding Jewish settlements in those territories, and destabilising Arab countries including Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq.
The rogue state enjoyed the political, economic, and strategic support of the United States and its allies. There has been a deafening silence regarding Israel’s recent aggressive and atrocious policies in the region, all aimed at bringing Arab countries under its suzerainty. Israel has been aggressively advancing its long-cherished goal of ‘Greater Israel’. For over three decades, American leaders have consistently downplayed Israel’s violations and actions that sabotage the peace process in the Middle East. This unwavering US support, especially since the outbreak of the military conflict in Gaza, has undermined America’s global leadership. Disillusioned European countries, including close US allies such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and France, have begun recognising the Palestinian state, openly defying US policy.
The number of European countries recognising the Palestinian state, however, falls short of expectations. The Palestinian state has already been recognised by a vast number of UN member countries. With the new recognitions, the tally rises to 157, or 81 per cent of the total UN membership. Whether this number will be sufficient to pressure Israel to release the occupied Arab lands and accept the Palestinian state in the spirit of UNSC Resolutions 242 and 338 and the Oslo Accords remains doubtful. Given Israel’s plans for ‘Greater Israel’ and the potential reoccupation of the Gaza Strip being considered by Israeli leaders with the open and shameless backing of the US, the prospects for the establishment of a Palestinian state or an immediate ceasefire in Gaza appear bleak. The recent Muslim leaders’ summit with President Donald Trump failed to produce a breakthrough.