Recognition Without Rescue: The World’s Hollow Gift to Palestinians
While the genocide in Gaza continues unabated and settlers run amok in the West Bank together with the army, the world met its minimum obligation by recognizing a state that will likely never come into being
Gideon Levy • 04:53 AM • September 25 2025 IDT
▻https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/2025-09-25/ty-article/.premium/recognition-without-rescue-the-worlds-hollow-gift-to-palestinians/00000199-7d35-df8f-afbd-fd7de2010000
On the day the world recognized a Palestinian state I made my way, together with photographer Alex Levac, to a remote Palestinian village in the eastern part of the West Bank.
The day before, settlers from the new illegal outposts in the vicinity stole dozens of the village’s sheep in a violent armed robbery. On the day the United Nations held a high-level conference on the two-state solution and 10 Western states joined the long list of countries that had already recognized the imaginary state, the Alon Road was almost devoid of Palestinian vehicles. Most West Bank roads are now blocked by iron gates that are opened and closed at the whim of Israeli military commanders.
On the day 159 states had already recognized the state of dreams, 81-year-old shepherd Sadek Farhana lay at home, groaning in pain. The day before, settlers had beaten him mercilessly with clubs for no reason, breaking both his arms, despite his advanced age. His grandson sat beside him, his own head bandaged: He too had been injured in the settlers’ robbery. The Israel Police were quick to falsely accuse the Palestinian shepherds, without investigating, saying they had robbed the settlers. The newly recognized state has no police force to protect its residents.
On the day France’s president celebrated a diplomatic victory, Palestinian statehood seemed more distant than ever. At no point in time has the dream of a state seemed more disconnected from the reality on the ground. The president of the state in the making, Mahmoud Abbas, was not even allowed to come to the United States to attend the conference discussing his country, in a blatant violation by the U.S. of its agreement with the UN.
At that very moment, the International Criminal Court’s most-wanted man, Benjamin Netanyahu, who is suspected of committing crimes against humanity, was preparing for his trip to New York. The president of the state that nearly the entire world now “recognizes” will attend the General Assembly via a video link, while the ICC’s No. 1 most-wanted will address the hall from the dais.
On the day the world recognized a Palestinian state, 61 people were killed in Gaza, roughly the same number as on the day before and the day after, as has been the case every day in recent months. Recognition did not and will not save even one Gazan child from the bombings. Gaza is unfit for human habitation, and the situation for Palestinians living in the West Bank is gradually growing similar. It’s doubtful the old man who was beaten even heard about the recognition.
The British and French declarations changed nothing for him; even if Andorra and Monaco joined in, his fate would not change; the sheep that were stolen from him would not be returned even if Luxembourg were to join the list.
The world, and especially self-righteous Europe, paid more empty lip service this week to the victims in Gaza and the West Bank. While the genocide in Gaza continues unabated and settlers run amok in the West Bank together with the army, the world met its minimum obligation by recognizing a state that will likely never come into being. How easy it is to recognize it, how hard it is to stop genocide. Israel, as usual, cried “antisemitism.” All of the Jewish parties in the Israeli opposition – including Yair Golan’s the Democrats – stood with the government in condemning the recognition.
Anyone who, like me, was desperately hoping for a dramatic emergency move by the world to immediately stop the systematic killing and destruction in Gaza, before anything else, instead got a move that will only make things worse. The heads of state can now reassure themselves and their agitated citizens: We have punished the criminal and rewarded the victim. We no longer need to lift a finger for Gaza, we’ve done our part.
Tragically, to recognize a Palestinian state now is preposterous, almost crazy. There is no partner for a two-state solution at the moment, neither in Israel nor in Palestine. Gaza has been destroyed and there is no longer room in the West Bank for a state that is not a collection of Bantustans. Do you want to save the surviving remnant of Gaza? Harsh sanctions must be imposed on Israel immediately. Do you want a long-term vision? Democracy for all people from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.
