In 1947, the UN approved Palestine partition plan and in 1948 Israel was admitted as a member of the UN. But, it should be known that in the UN partition plan it was resolved to create a Jewish and an Arab state. Now, 76 years after the plan, there is a Jewish state but no Arab (Palestinian) state. This act of injustice not only encouraged Israel to establish and strengthen its occupation of West Bank and sustain its blockade of Gaza Strip, but also to embark on a plan to permanently deprive the beleaguered Palestinian community of their ancestral land.

The question of granting statehood is as old as the UN partition plan for Palestine. But, in the recent past there is a move on part of some UN members to grant recognition to the state of Palestine. Followed by Britain, Ireland, Malta, Slovenia and Spain and Norway, now Australia has hinted that it will recognise the Palestinian state, with the Australian Foreign Minister saying, “Recognizing Palestinian state that can only exist side by side with a secure Israel will strengthen forces for peace.” Granting full membership of Palestine is already pending before the UN Security Council where it will certainly be vetoed by the US reflecting contradiction in its stated position that there should be a two-state solution where Israel and Palestine will live side by side.

In the meantime, there is a tug of war going on between Nicaragua and Germany on the issue of Berlin not condemning genocide against the Palestinians and providing weapons to Israel. Singling out Germany as an ally of Israel in the war by Nicaragua, a Central American country with marginal stakes in the Middle East, means the two countries at the International Court of Justice are pursuing opposite........

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