What Palestinian state?

The question of recognizing a Palestinian state is once again making headlines.

Some European countries have done so; France and the UK have signaled potential recognition, while other Western countries, including Denmark and the US, reject or express reservations.

But what does a Palestinian state actually mean, and why is the discussion resurfacing now?

- What is meant by a Palestinian state?

A state that would be established on a fraction of occupied Palestine, historically along the pre-1967 borders.

Even this idea has, in reality, become impossible under current conditions and has effectively been abandoned by the US — the original proponent of the "two-state solution".
Both the US and the Zionist entity occupying Palestine are working to absorb both Gaza and the West Bank into the state of Israel.

- Would a “Palestinian state” even be a real state?

No.

According to all the proposals that have been presented, such a state would be a powerless shell—without an independent economy, military, or territorial sovereignty.

It would be completely dependent on the occupying Zionist entity for its survival and security.

- Should Muslims be excited about the prospect of a Palestinian state?

No.

Firstly, such a proposal would mean surrendering all occupied Palestinian land outside the areas the proposed state would include — at least 78% of Palestine — which is completely unacceptable.

Secondly, it involves accepting the occupation’s existence with fixed borders, something that should be utterly unacceptable to any Muslim.

Thirdly, it reduces the issue of Palestine to a purely Palestinian matter, to be negotiated by a small and occupied segment of the Islamic Ummah, rather than making it the responsibility of the entire Ummah to liberate all of Palestine.

- Why are some key European countries now pushing for possible recognition of a so-called Palestinian state?

Europe, despite its weakened position and relative insignificance in global affairs, is still trying to compete with the US for influence in international politics — including the future of the Middle East.

This competition is entirely about self-interest and has nothing to do with improving the situation for the people of Palestine.

European proposals once again highlight the emptiness of the idea of a Palestinian state.

Their conditions for recognition include:

• An immediate “ceasefire” (i.e., Muslim surrender),

• Disarmament of Palestinian resistance (i.e., abandoning the cause and the struggle),

• Elimination of Hamas (so that only “controlled resistance” from corrupt Fatah/PLO is allowed),

• And a comprehensive “peace” (i.e., complete capitulation).

Both the US and Europe agree that the occupation must be protected — they simply disagree on how best to convince Muslims to accept its existence.

Europe fears that developments are unfolding in a way that excludes it from future influence in the region, especially as the current trajectory follows more aggressive American policies.

- Why are the US and the occupiers against immediate recognition of a so-called Palestinian state?

The creation of a Palestinian state would be the final piece in the regional occupation puzzle.

But for the occupation to survive, the region must accept its permanent existence.
If full acceptance is not achieved, the Zionist settler colony called “Israel” at least needs sufficient political, economic, and military power to protect itself from the region’s collective threat.

At the same time, a Palestinian state would set borders for both “Palestine” and the occupying entity.

The US and the Zionists believe that the current framework is insufficient to meet future security needs — and thus they aim to annex both Gaza and the West Bank.

A Palestinian state in areas the occupation considers strategically vital would be suicidal for its long-term survival.

That is why efforts are being made to expel all Palestinians — first from Gaza, then from the West Bank, and finally those residing within “Israel” itself — to somewhere outside the country’s borders.

The dream of a “Greater Israel” is still alive, even as the US seeks to craft compromises acceptable to the occupying entity, including a large security zone (i.e., occupied territory) into Syria.

- What would it mean in practice if a Palestinian state were declared today?

Without US support — absolutely nothing.

In reality, Europe is not serious about a Palestinian state either.

The announcement is just empty diplomatic rhetoric, meant to steal attention from the US and present European “alternatives” to a long-running conflict that destabilizes both Europe and the US.

The idea of a Palestinian state has been around since the 1950s, and the conditions set by France and the UK for recognizing one today are designed in such a way that it will never materialize.

The lives of the people in Palestine are simply being used as bargaining chips in international political games.

The only solution — both Islamically and practically — is the total liberation of all of Palestine and its reunification with the Levant and the rest of the Muslim lands under a unifying Islamic Khilafah (Caliphate) State.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Suleiman Lamrabet