On Palestinian Statehood


Wonderful work by Saudi Arabia and France at the UN yesterday with Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution. Looking back on The ICC and Israel: Jurisdiction Revisited, I see that I still have serious misgivings about A/RES/67/19. Nevertheless, I am willing to recognize the existence of Palestinian statehood since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, within borders to be determined through bilateral negotiations between Palestine and Israel, or by settlement of a contentious case between the two parties at the International Court of Justice. This said, even if President Trump shares my willingness, I am not sure he can acknowledge the legitimate statehood of Palestine since 1988 (at the earliest) on a grand strategic UN Security Council level unless and until all the members of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation recognize the legitimate statehood of Israel since 1948 (at the earliest).