Palestinian statehood must not distract from immediate action against Israel's genocide
The horrifying images of Gazans being deliberately starved is adding to the pressure to Western governments which have been enthusiastic supporters of Israel’s genocide.
Former US President Barack Obama has started to push for an end to Israel’s military operations. Sections of Israeli society, including five human rights organisations, now agree that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
Media corporations, such as BBC, AFP, AP and Reuters, which have been complicit in manufacturing consent for “Israel has a right to defend itself” line, are now condemning the killing of Palestinian journalists.
These shifts reflect the scale of the horror, but also the success of the global Palestine solidarity movement.
It is undermining support for Israel — a factor which is starting to weigh on Western governments. Only 32% of Americans approve of Israel’s military action in Gaza, according to a new Gallup poll.
With the exception of Ireland and Spain, Western governments refuse to describe Israel’s war as an act of genocide.
It explains why Western governments are starting to talk about recognising Palestinian statehood.
Canada, Britain and France have said they will formally recognise Palestinian statehood at the United Nations General Assembly meeting in September. It is expected that Australia and New Zealand will follow suit.
While recognising Palestinian statehood gives legitimacy to Palestinian’s aspirations, to use it as a bargaining chip is a disturbing face-saving exercise.
Importantly too it is also a distraction from taking immediate steps — sanctions, ending the weapons’ trade and a massive expansion of aid — to stop Israel’s genocide and starvation.
British Labour is making “threats” to recognise Palestine unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire. Similarly, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese claims to be open to recognising a Palestinian state “when the time is right”.
Albanese has been feeling the pressure to make stronger statements against Israel’s withholding of aid, but it is all still just talk.
When asked by a reporter why Labor won’t impose sanctions on Israel, as it did on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, Albanese not only refused to answer, he called out the reporter for “sloganeering”.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has admitted, in parliament, that Australia contributes to the “global F-35 [joint strike fighter] supply chain”. But she then tried to argue that it’s only “parts” and that they are “non-lethal in nature”.
Recognising Palestinian statehood without taking accountability enabling genocide to go on for nearly two years is a crime against humanity.
It shows that Western governments remain absolutely committed to propping up Israel as a garrison state, whose function is to project Western power in the Middle East.
As Egyptian-Canadian journalist and author Omar el Akkad said in 2023: “One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.”
There is a collapse in support for Israel in the West. The images of skeletal children and shrill genocidal rhetoric of Israeli politicians threaten to make this irreversible.
This poses a real challenge for Western politicians, including Australia’s. They need Israel to dial back the horror a little and be seen to offer the Palestinians some crumbs — just enough for the issue to fade from the headlines.
In that sense they are trying to save Israel from itself. We must use this moment to ensure they fail, by kicking the door open even further.
[Jacob Andrewartha is a national co-convener of Socialist Alliance.]