Adel Misk: beyond its symbolic nature, vote lends international legitimacy to a Palestinian state
Yesterday, a France-Saudi proposal to recognise full Palestinian sovereignty alongside Israel was presented at the UN. So far, 152 of 193 countries are in favour, but the United States remains opposed. One of the points outlined by Macron in his address is an “International Stabilization Mission”. For Misk, the vote puts the spotlight back on Palestine, but it is only "the first phase”; “other actions" are needed. In the future Palestine, “Muslims, Christians, and Jews must be equal before the law”.
Milan (AsiaNews) – The recognition of the Palestinian state, an "international wave" led by France, which undertook this diplomatic initiative together with Saudi Arabia, must not remain "just a symbolic act”, said Adel Misk, speaking to AsiaNews, about yesterday's session at the UN on the eve of the 80th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
For the Palestinian neurologist and a prominent figure in Palestinian society, this is a “first phase” that must be accompanied by "other actions" so that it does not remain a "dead letter”.
The Israeli-Palestinian question, the Gaza war, and the tragedy of the hostages still held by Hamas are among the main issues of the UN meeting. To resolve the conflict that has dominated the global agenda in the recent past, Paris and Riyadh have developed a plan, with friends and foes.
“The issues currently under discussion take us back to the time of UN Resolution 181, which called for the creation of two states, one Israeli and the other Palestinian. However, we [only] witnessed the birth of the Jewish state,” the Palestinian activist said.
“After 78 years, the world’s governments seem to have finally awakened, thanks to grassroots support in their own countries for the historic right of the Palestinians to exist, to see their own state recognised, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with Jerusalem as its capital.”
Macron and the France-Saudi Plan
The conference on Palestine was held yesterday at the United Nations, marking a historic turning point after a dozen nations, led by France’s Emmanuel Macron, announced their recognition of the Palestinian state.
This decision was supported by other leading Western powers such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, highlighting the isolation of the United States (and Israel), who remain adamantly opposed.
At the end of the “High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution,” as the France-Saudi initiative is called, at least 11 countries officially recognised the State of Palestine: France, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Finland, Luxembourg, Portugal, Malta, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and San Marino.
In his speech, the French leader stressed that, “This recognition is a way of affirming that the Palestinian people are not a people too many.” At the same time, this “does not subtract in any way from the rights of the Israeli people.”
The plan is not just a symbolic act; it was developed with the contribution of the Gulf States and lays out, albeit summarily, the steps to be taken to become concrete action.
The first phase focuses on the peace plan (to end the war in Gaza and the violence and occupation in the West Bank), followed by a second phase focused on Gaza’s “stabilization and reconstruction” based on a plan that is quite different from the “Riviera” promoted by US President Donald Trump and Israel’s far-right government led by Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu.
For Macron, a "transitional administration that includes the Palestinian Authority" would “implement the dismantling and disarmament of Hamas, with the support of international partners and the resources required for this difficult task.”
France, he noted, is ready “to contribute to an international stabilization mission and support, alongside its European partners, the training and equipping of Palestinian security forces."
Finally, the State of Palestine will “provide its people with a new and secure framework for democratic expression”. No elections have been held in the Palestinian territories for almost 20 years.
International reactions
Despite its limitations, the recognition sends a strong message to Israel and its main ally, the United States. Saudi Arabia, the co-chair of the conference with France, issued an appeal through Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud after Macron's address.
“[W]e call all other countries to take a similar historic step that will have a great impact,” he said, “on supporting the efforts the implementation of the two-state solution" because it is “the only way to achieve a just and permanent peace.”
Unable to attend the conference after the US denied him a visa, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in a video message, issued a renewed appeal to Hamas to lay down its arms, adding that “it will have no role in governing” Gaza.
“We also condemn," Abbas added, "the killings and detention of civilians, including Hamas's actions on October 7, 2023."
Following yesterday's vote, 152 of the 193 United Nations member states now recognise the State of Palestine, which has a permanent population and theoretically established territory, one of the conditions set out in the 1933 Montevideo Convention for the creation of a territorial entity, although the issue of the territories and Israel's consistent threat of annexation remain.
For his part, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called the recognition an "immoral, scandalous, and especially ugly action," as well as representing a "prize for Hamas and a reward for terrorism”.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that "the days when Britain and other countries would determine our future are over." He added that “the only response to the anti-Israel move is sovereignty over the homeland of the Jewish people in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) and permanently removing the folly of a Palestinian state from the agenda.”
In addition to the US and Israel, Japan, South Korea, and Singapore do not recognise the State of Palestine, although Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan yesterday opened the door to a review his country’s position, stressing that it “will oppose any steps by Israel to extinguish or undermine” the two-state solution.
In Europe, Italy and Germany are taking a wait-and-see stance, not supporting Macron's decision while not denying the Palestinians' right to a state of their own.
For UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, "national sovereignty for the Palestinians is a right" within the framework of two states that are "independent, contiguous, democratic, viable, and sovereign”. And “It is not a reward," he added, "and denying it would be a gift to extremists around the world.”
Regarding territorial issues, France and Saudi Arabia, in a joint statement, consider any attempt or plan for annexation to be a red line, while the release of the hostages remains an "absolute priority”.
Time to Act
Adel Misk, a former spokesperson for The Parents Circle, an association that brings together hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian families of victims of the conflict, confirms that voting "is not a reward, but the recognition of a right" that goes beyond symbols.
“The time has come to act so that it translates into a real state. But for this to happen, sanctions and a boycott against Israel are needed, like in the past with South Africa.” We need to counter the Israeli policy that fuels “settler violence in the West Bank" and pushes for "the annexation of territories.”
This requires “the opening of embassies, an international force to patrol the territory because if it remains a symbolic act, it is useless,” even if it is comforting to see "the support of many groups and peoples”.
“In Gaza and the West Bank, Palestinians are closely following what is happening, from the speeches at the UN to settlers’ provocations, ongoing massacres in Gaza, and the threat of mass displacement.”
More than talks about leaders, or the future of Mahmoud Abbas or Marwan Barghouti, the Palestinian Nelson Mandela, what matters is "giving people their say and holding elections," which have not been held for almost 20 years.
Then there is the issue of Hamas's presence within the political and institutional landscape of a future Palestinian state.
“Everyone says it must be without Hamas," Misk emphasises, “but I don't know how something like this can be done, because it is a party, an organization, an idea that endures."
What is more, today "the priority is to stop the stain of war, to stop this extermination of innocent people, to stop the hunger that is spreading across the entire Strip.”
Finally, there is the issue of “hostages” even though no one talks about "the thousands of Palestinian prisoners” in Israeli prisons, and the settlers, whose attacks continue unabated.
“A Palestinian state, with a leadership and a defined border, with its own sovereignty, will be open to Israelis in the settlements who wish to remain, accepting its laws. As is the case today for Israeli Arabs.”
“Otherwise, the settlements will be evacuated, but those who wish to remain are welcome. In a future (Palestinian) state, Muslims, Christians, and Jews must be equal before the law and have the same rights.”
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