Historian: States recognizing Palestine due to growing Muslim communities in the West
Western recognition of Palestine this week was strongly influenced by growing Muslim communities, says historian Andrei Hvostov.
"The fact that countries like France, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia recognize the State of Palestine may well have domestic political reasons," said Hvostov. "In those countries, the number of citizens with Islamic backgrounds has increased so significantly over the last 30 to 40 years that political parties and the ruling elite can no longer ignore it."
"If they need the support of Muslim-origin citizens to gain power, then they are simply compelled to take a hard line toward Israel and support a Palestinian state," he added.
According to Hvostov, another reason could be pangs of conscience in parts of the democratic world. "The thinking goes that if we now recognize the much-suffering Palestinian people's right to statehood, maybe this will somehow ease or help end the war. But unfortunately, it will not help to stop the war," Hvostov reasoned.
He also pointed out that Hamas has described the current wave of recognition of Palestine as the result of its heroic struggle. "And if they say this, and it seems Arabs are also inclined to believe it, then we cannot ignore the perception or claim that this is not meant as a reward for terrorist activity. Unfortunately, from that side, the impression remains," Hvostov said.
Hvostov explained that the recognition of new states is guided by the Montevideo Convention, which sets out four criteria.
"The first of these is that there must be a defined people. The second is that there must be some sort of defined borders. Third, there should be some kind of government. And fourth, there must be the ability to establish diplomatic relations with other states. In the case of Palestine, only the first of these four points has been met," Hvostov said.
Hvostov added that if Israel, in response to the wave of recognition by Western countries, were to completely occupy the West Bank, then Israel could end up in a final rift with the wealthy and influential Arab states along the Persian Gulf.
Over the past week, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta, Andorra and Monaco have announced their recognition of the State of Palestine.
--
Editor: Marcus Turovski, Aleksander Krjukov
