Since the occurrence of the war in October 2023, which shocked the conscience of the world, bringing the Palestinian question back to the forefront of international attention, much more legitimacy has accrued to the rights of the Palestinians.

A repost from 26 September 2025.

Governments, states and political institutions found themselves on the horns of a dilemma of either recognising the State of Palestine or reaffirming that a State of Palestine had to be established, given the unprecedented wave of public outrage against continuing crimes perpetrated by Israel. Yet, if one accepts these recognitions at face value, one would disregard the stark and grim reality of Palestinians’ daily lives: in Gaza, for instance, genocide unfolds before the eyes of the world, registered on the medium of sound and image.

Such recognition for the state of Palestine, while doing absolutely nothing to stop the genocide or halt the expansion of settlements in the West Bank and Jerusalem, remains mere recognition on paper, with no real meaning or impact on people’s lives. Rather, without any concrete action, such recognition is, in fact, a moral fig leaf, which states employ to wash away Palestinian blood from their hands while continuing, with impunity, to support the occupation, whether politically, militarily or economically.

The central thesis is clear: the authentic recognition of the Palestinian state must begin with the protection of the Palestinian people themselves – stopping them from being killed, starved, and forcibly displaced from their homeland. Recognition in international forums remains meaningless if its people are being exterminated before the eyes of the world.

International legitimacy: Between text and reality

For over more than 70 years, dozens of international resolutions have affirmed the rights of the Palestinian people, starting with Resolution 181 partitioning Palestine and Resolution 194 concerning the right of return and many subsequent resolutions inhaling the illegality of occupation and settlement. Yet, these resolutions have remained shelved, with powerful international actors, chief among them the US, shielding Israel from any genuine kind of accountability.

What followed in October 2023, however, marked a turning point. The carefully cultivated image Israel had projected for decades, of a “democratic state defending itself”, was........

© Pearls and Irritations