The Western nations of France, Canada and the United Kingdom have made the symbolic move of acknowledging Palestine as a sovereign state in September when the United Nations General Assembly convenes.
This move has political weight but also raises important considerations regarding its timing, purpose and effects. These actions are late, mostly symbolic and insufficient to change the deeply entrenched mechanisms of occupation and dispossession, even while recognition indicates a change in diplomatic stance and a possible alignment with international aspirations for a two-state solution.
When South Africa filed a genocide case at the International Court of Justice against Israel on December 29 2023, it received a lot of criticism from the Global North. Meanwhile, the long-running Israel-Palestinian conflict has escalated to unprecedented levels of international urgency due to growing polarisation, settlement expansion and an increase in civilian fatalities.
According to the World Health Organization, malnutrition is on a dangerous trajectory in the Gaza Strip, marked by a spike in deaths in July. Of 74 malnutrition-related deaths in 2025, 63 occurred in July including 24 children under five, a child over five and 38 adults. Most of these people were declared dead on arrival at health facilities or died shortly after, their bodies showing clear signs of severe wasting.
Symbolic not substantive
Recognition may be seen as a powerful diplomatic tool, but it does not instantly alter the facts of the Israeli occupation, the ongoing settlement growth, or the Gaza humanitarian situation. There is still disagreement on the security, sovereignty and geographical boundaries of a Palestinian state. West Bank Jewish Population statistics show that the West Bank’s Jewish-settler population rose by roughly 2.3%, or over 12,000 people, last year, reaching 529,450.
The ICJ in 2024 ruled that the West Bank occupation was deemed unlawful and a violation of the Palestinians’ right to self-determination. It stated that Israel had already essentially annexed a sizeable portion of the land and that Israeli policy in the territories amounted to “systemic discrimination” on the basis of race, religion or ethnic origin.
This recognition is little, especially on the UK’s side, in accordance with Human Rights Watch , which asserts that a thorough and comprehensive arms embargo on Israel is a glaring “concrete action” that the British government can adopt if it is serious about applying pressure on the Israeli government. UK-built components continue to be used in Israel’s fleet of F-35 fighter jets, a workhorse in Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza. The UK does not directly supply Israel, but they source them from UK’s ally, the US.
History demonstrates that the international community’s political pressure on the South African government during the apartheid era included a comprehensive arms embargo. Therefore, if the UK is serious about the prevention of genocide in Gaza, it should not only recognise the state of Palestine but also adopt a comprehensive arms embargo.
The fading of a two-state solution
The “two-state solution” is a proposal for peace between Israel and the Palestinians that has the support of many nations. It suggests establishing a separate Palestinian state with its capital in East Jerusalem that would encompass the West Bank and Gaza. Israel would coexist with it.
Israel has long been rejecting the two-state solution. The expansion of Israeli settlements continues to remain one of the hurdles of two-state solution. The weakening of Palestine's political institutions also remain a hurdle for this solution. The split of Fatah and Hamas in 2007 has weakened the Palestine national movement in having a united voice in its negotiating position. The international community’s position on the conflict has always been a two-state solution, but it continues to be words rather than action.
This recognition by the three states will not hold the Israelis accountable for their actions in West Bank and Gaza. The international actors have failed to enforce important obligations under the Charter of the UN article 2(4). The recognition is just an acknowledgment of the solution that is not achievable on the ground as the damage there is huge.
Though it is arguable that the recognition of France, Canada and the UK represents long-standing Western double standards, it is too little, too late to alter the geopolitical landscape on the ground. There are conditions attached to the recognition, particularly from the UK. Israel should accept a ceasefire, which would enable the UN to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza residents immediately. If Israel accepts this condition, the UK will stop recognising Palestine as a state.
Despite clear evidence of Israeli human rights violations in Gaza and the West Bank, the UK still exports military equipment that may be used in occupied territories. Israeli sovereignty is not questioned regardless of continuous illegal occupation in Gaza and the West Bank while the Palestine state is conditional. Considering its symbolic importance, the recent recognition of Palestine by France, Canada and the UK comes after decades of silence and inaction.
As the occupation, displacement and humanitarian situation worsen, these efforts provide little immediate relief for many Palestinians. Recognition risks becoming a meaningless declaration in the absence of tangible actions, such as sanctions on illegal settlements, responsibility for transgressions of international law and sincere support for Palestinian self-determination. Therefore this recognition is unlikely to achieve justice or peace.
• Gontse Skosana has a BSocSci Hons in international relations, from North West University (Mahikeng Campus)
For opinion and analysis consideration, email opinions@timeslive.co.za
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