Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair
In these terrible times in the wake of October 7, there is one perception as to which the Israeli government and virtually all other governments now publicly profess to agree, sincerely and passionately in the Israeli case and at least rhetorically in the case of the Global West: The “Question of Palestine” can no longer be ignored or “managed” but must, finally, be definitively resolved.
The Israeli government has clearly chosen and is actively pursuing a final solution consisting of genocide and ethnic cleansing on a massive scale.
Governments of the Global West are claiming that their preferred solution is a renewed and urgent effort toward eventually ending Israel’s 56-year-long occupation and implementing the venerable “two-state solution”.
If the Global West were, for the first time, genuinely interested in actually achieving a “two-state solution”, it has the power and means to do so, but doing so would require Western governments to take two steps promptly, while there are still Palestinians left in the Gaza Strip:
(1) Join the other 139 states, encompassing the overwhelming majority of mankind, which have extended diplomatic recognition to the State of Palestine, within its clearly defined and UN-recognized borders (all of that portion of historical Palestine which Israel has occupied since June 1967, nothing more and nothing less) even while its entire territory remains under Israeli occupation and without waiting for Israel’s prior permission.
(2) Enforce crippling UN Security Council-mandated sanctions against Israel “for as long as it takes” (to quote Joe Biden in another context) until Israel ends its illegal occupation (as ardently sought by Joe Biden in another context) and fully withdraws from the territory of the State of Palestine.
If the Global West is unwilling to take these steps and to do so promptly, it will be clear to all that the Global West is simply bleating yet more hot air in claiming to seek a “two-state solution” and, as between the two possible definitive solutions, genuinely prefers the final solution being pursued by Israel.
The Global Majority is unlikely to forget or forgive.
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This content originally appeared on CounterPunch.org and was authored by John Whitbeck.