What does international recognition mean for the Palestinian state?

In the face of threatening statements from Israeli officials, Spain, Norway, and Ireland have formally announced recognising the State of Palestine after saying earlier this month they were in favour of giving Palestinians a country of their own.

While the decision has been widely appreciated, establishing a state is a long-drawn process that involves overcoming several hurdles.

When one state recognises another, full diplomatic relations typically follow, including the delineation of specific borders and the exchange of ambassadors.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has said his country will recognise the Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Much of the Palestinian territory is under Israeli occupation.

Some experts are hoping that Ireland, Norway and Spain’s decision will inspire other countries to follow suit, potentially contributing to the Palestinians getting the rights they have been fighting for decades under the Israeli occupation.

However, there are others who say a country’s announcement of recognising another is merely symbolic with limited diplomatic impact.

'Purely symbolic' or 'the only real solution'

Since November 15, 1988, when Yasser Arafat, head of the Palestine Liberation Organization, declared Palestine an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, more than a hundred countries have stepped forward to recognise a Palestinian state.

The Oslo Accords, a pair of agreements signed between the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Israel in the 1990s, were meant to lay the groundwork for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Steve Zipperstein, a professor of public policy at the University of California, Santa Barbara, says no recognition can settle the conflict and give Palestinians a country of their own unless the issues identified in the Oslo Accords are addressed.

“Most observers believe premature recognition will do nothing to further the cause of peace. Much hard work remains to be done at the negotiating table between Israelis and Palestinians regarding the permanent status issues identified in the Oslo Accords,” he tells TRT World.

The seven ‘permanent status issues’ under the accords were Jerusalem's status, Palestinian refugees, Israeli settlements, security arrangements, borders, relations with other neighbours, and other matters of common interest.

The Oslo Accords required the PLO to recognise Israel but did not bind Israel to acknowledge the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people.

The agreements are seen by many Palestinians as giving more favour to Israel over Palestine and leading to the expansion of Israeli occupation.

Zipperstein says that the Spanish, Norwegian and Irish announcements are “purely symbolic” as they have no legal effect, and recognition alone is not sufficient to confer statehood under international law.

However, according to Lenore G. Martin, professor of Political Science at Harvard University, the recent recognition of Palestine is clearly meant to pressure Israel to start negotiations with the Palestinian Authority with the goal of Israel’s recognition of Palestine as a state.

This is “by far the only real solution to this conflict,” she tells TRT World.

The Palestinian Authority (PA) has served as the governing body responsible for administering portions of the Israeli-occupied West Bank since the mid-'90s, currently overseeing approximately 39 percent of the territory.

In Gaza, governance has been under the control of Hamas since 2007.

Martin also notes the need to address certain fundamental issues within the scope of recognition, including the status of Jerusalem and the issue of Palestinian refugees in other countries, and settle the question of who represents the Palestinian people - Hamas or PA.

Pressure and isolation

Experts say that while it may not lead to immediate changes on the ground, recognition of a Palestinian state could exert pressure on Israel to cease its military operations in Gaza, as it gives legitimacy to the Palestinian people’s struggle.

With the latest additions, now 146 out of 193 UN member states recognise Palestine, and as Palestine gains more diplomatic support, challenges for Israel will rise in the international arena.

"Israel was getting away with a lot of things in the early weeks of the war, but now, after many months of that continuing, even aid deliveries being affected, and the looming famine already breaking out, a lot of countries are losing patience,” says Klaus Larres, a politics professor at the University of North Carolina.

Most European countries support a two-state solution, but they have hesitated to recognise Palestine as a state, something that angers Israel and the United States, Larres tells TRT World.

However, the recognition of Palestine can be one of the primary prerequisites for a two-state solution.

“Considering the recent developments in Gaza and Israel's excessive behaviour, many (European countries) feel deeply antagonised and frustrated by the lack of progress in recent years,” Larres says.

European recognition

In 2012, Palestine’s status was upgraded from a "non-member observer entity" to a "non-member observer state" at the United Nations General Assembly.

Yet, achieving full membership necessitates endorsement from the Security Council, where the five permanent members—China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—hold veto power over all decisions.

In April, the United States exercised its veto authority, blocking a resolution that called for full recognition of Palestine as a state.

While a significant change may not be imminent at the UN, other European countries may mirror the actions taken by Ireland, Norway, and Spain.

Sami Al Arian, the Director of the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) at Istanbul Zaim University, says he hopes the EU bloc will now have the ability to exert pressure on Israel to halt the war, especially since ten out of the 27 member states recognise Palestine now.

“If major European countries, such as Italy and France, were also to recognise Palestine in the future, that would exert significant pressure on the union to enact policies compelling Israel to relent and grant concessions to the Palestinians regarding their political and civil rights,” Al Arian tells TRT World.

"With today's recognition by European states of Palestinians' political and civil rights, it suggests that the concept of greater Israel is no longer feasible for the future of the region."

Slovenia, another EU member state, announced its decision to expedite the recognition of the Palestinian state in June, calling it a "moral duty." Malta and Belgium are also discussing that possibility.

“Thanks to the steadfastness of the Palestinians, the world is waking up to the reality of the Zionist entity and its genocidal agenda, and we are witnessing a significant global shift that will eventually lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state,” says Al Arian.