Formal recognition by three G7 countries – two of which are also permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – along with Portugal, Belgium and others – will mark a symbolic milestone for the Palestinian cause. But the current situation on the ground makes it almost impossible to imagine that a two-state solution, through which a sovereign Palestinian state would exist alongside Israel, could become a reality.
Elliott Abrams, who has served in three Republican administrations, including during Trump’s first term, said that he believed the countries’ decisions to recognize Palestinian statehood were motivated by domestic political pressures. “This does absolutely nothing to benefit one single Palestinian. It is a result of domestic political pressure from the left and from Muslim groups… these are democracies, and they are reacting to the desires of voters. But it’s not going to help Palestinians at all,” he told CNN. Western recognition won’t change the reality on the ground: A Palestinian state has never seemed further away.
