The French president Emmanuel Macron said France will recognize it Palestine statein the wake of what has already been done in recent months from other European countries such as Spain, Ireland, Norway, Slovenia, Malta and Belgium. The recognition will come formalized In September, on the occasion of the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The decision was immediately criticized by Israel, with the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who accused Macron of wanting to “reward terror”, and he did not even have the response of the United States, with the American secretary of state, Marco Rubiowho “firmly rejected the French plan”.
Among other things, Italy also seems close to Macron’s decision, even if, for the moment, he has not yet announced the formal recognition of the state of Palestine: the Foreign Minister Antonio Tajanihowever, has been said to be favorable several times to the solution of the “two peoples, two states»To end the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
But, therefore, because there are so few Western States who recognize the Palestine like a state? The reason is, again, in the post-colonial dynamics and in the confused management of these territories by the western powers during the 1900s. However, there are also pressure exercised on European countries by United Statesmain allies of Israel.
Because the West does not recognize Palestinian independence
To understand the reason for this western decision we have to take a step back. At the end of the First World War, all the empires collapsed: at that point, the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire were divided among the winners and, in 1922the territory of the Palestine passed under the control of the United Kingdom who, in 1947, decided to return the territory to the United Nations.
At that point, the UN proposed to create two distinct states, one Palestinian and a Jewish one: with the Arab-Israeli war of the 1948however, Israel came to check about two thirds more than the territory that would be up to him.
Over the years, the countries western always have rejected to recognize the existence of one Palestine state For a series of reasons: primarily because the West had been among the main ones promoters of the creation of a Jewish statealso to remedy the sense of guilt linked to the Holocaust and the persecution of Jews during the Second World War.
But there is also the strong to be considered influence of the United Statesthe main allies of Israel, who exercised strong pressures on European countries by preventing (even if not formally) the recognition of the Palestine state that could have represented one threat for the existence of Israel.
What are the territories of Palestine today: the maps
But what remained today of the Palestinian territory and how it would be composed Palestine state? Here is a series of maps that can help us better understand the situation, developed by the Institute for International Political Studies (Inspire):
In 1947 the territory was divided by the UN between Palestinian and Israeli Arabs: following the Arab-Israeli war of 1948however, Israel came to occupy more territories than those who would have been due to him according to the first division.
Currently, the territory of the Palestine includes the Gaza Strip and part of the West Boardwhich in 1993 was divided into different areas of influence on the basis of Oslo agreements, who marked a momentary relaxation between Israelis and Palestinians.
What does it mean to obtain recognition as a state
In general, to be considered a state they must be satisfied 5 requirements:
- the existence of a territoryequipped with boundaries;
- the existence of a people that lives that territory;
- the existence of a government that administers that territory;
- the ability to establish relations with other states;
- The recognition by the other states of the international community.
It is important to understand that, being recognized as a state, it means becoming subjects of international law and join the international community. To understand each other, it means accessing a whole series of rights and guarantees recognized to that country, including the possibility of becoming part of international organizations like the United Nations; the ability to conclude treaties international; the formal recognition of one’s sovereignty and independence and, therefore, the possibility of contacting the International Courts in the case of attacks or invasions against their territory.
Palestine, for example, is not considered a Member State of the UN having not been recognized as a state by the whole international community: its status is that of non -member permanent observer. At the moment, however, the state of Palestine is recognized as such by 142 countries (which will become 143, after the French announcement): these are most of the states of the international community, with the exception of the Western countries.
States that have limited recognition internationally
But are there other states in the world that have limited recognition in addition to Palestine? Yes, and there are about a dozen. In the list, among other things, the same is the same Israel. The main ones are:
- Armenia, which has not been recognized by Pakistan Following the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
- Cyprus of the Northindependent proclaimed in 1983 but recognized exclusively by Türkiye.
- Israel, which is recognized as a state only by 163 Member States of the UN (out of a total of 193). In this case, Israel not recognize are mainly the Arab countries, which have always been against the foundation of a Jewish state.
- Kosovo, Former Province of Serbia who proclaimed independence in 2008. Only 104 UN members They recognize him as a state: among the absent there are also European countries like Spain.
- Taiwan, recognized as an independent state only by 22 countriesmainly of Latin America. China, on the other hand, considers it to be its province.
- Transnistriaa separatist region between Ukraine and Moldova who, in reality, does not enjoy a limited but null recognition: it has never been recognized as a state by No country of the world.
