Hamid Khoshayand – Regional Affairs Expert
So far, 151 out of 193 United Nations member states have recognized the State of Palestine. At the UN General Assembly session, several other countries joined this campaign. Furthermore, a significant number of European Union countries, which are among the international partners of the Zionist regime, including members of the G20, which comprises the world’s major economies, have also recognized the State of Palestine.
With the UK and France joining the ranks of countries supporting the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, the balance in the Security Council is now entirely against the Zionist regime, as four out of the five permanent members of the Security Council have recognized the State of Palestine.
In response to the move by various world countries to recognize the independent State of Palestine, the Zionist regime, with the support of the United States – both of which are extremely angered by this action – claims it is preparing multiple options for a response. These options could include measures such as closing the consulates of some European countries, etc.
It is a particular assumption that the possible actions and reactions of the Zionist regime and the United States cannot only fail to stop the process of recognizing Palestine but will further strengthen the process of official recognition of Palestine by other countries worldwide.
Regarding the recent wave of recognition of the independent State of Palestine, there are two perspectives. Some introduce it as a symbolic action aimed at pressuring the Zionist regime to stop the war in Gaza. In contrast, others consider it a real action that, through a profound legal-political paradigm shift, can challenge the existential legitimacy of the Israeli regime and increase its strategic costs to an unprecedented level.
The first perspective correctly points out that these largely symbolic actions cannot by themselves lead to the creation of an independent Palestinian state with full control over its territories; in other words, the savagery of the Zionist regime, American support, the hypocritical actions of Western countries, and some regional countries, as well as field complexities, do not allow for its realization.
However, the strategic and long-term effects and consequences of these actions in changing the game and the rules of the long-standing conflict between Palestine and the Zionist regime can never be ignored merely because they are symbolic.
The action that began some time ago, with various countries around the world starting to recognize Palestine, undoubtedly strengthens the legitimacy of the Palestinian cause as a national and legal movement for achieving the right to self-determination. Furthermore, it gradually changes the narrative of the conflict from a security dispute by a so-called powerful actor that considers itself proper to a national conflict between an occupying entity and an occupied nation. This change in narrative strengthens the legal and moral foundations of Palestine’s position.
In other words, the historical narrative of the Zionist regime, which considered Palestine a land without owners and saw itself as a victim, is severely weakened. Now, in the view of the international community, the Zionist regime is not considered a victim but an occupying power that is becoming increasingly isolated internationally.
This isolation could lead to repeated condemnations in international institutions like the United Nations, diplomatic restrictions, and pressure on key allies of the criminal regime (such as the US) to justify their positions. In the long term, this could also negatively impact the economic and security relations of the Zionist regime.
This action strengthens Palestine’s position and its resistance and political actions, which in turn enhances unity and cohesion among Palestinians and raises their standing in any potential negotiations, so much so that Palestine is no longer a weak party against the Zionist regime but an actor with increasing international backing.
Disruption of the normalization process is another consequence of the recognition of Palestine by world countries. This means that the recent actions regarding the recognition of Palestine, especially at the UN General Assembly, will halt or even reverse the normalization of relations between the Zionist regime and regional countries. In the Arab world, normalizing relations with the Zionist regime, while many European and world countries, whether symbolically or substantively, recognize it as an occupying regime, will be politically very costly.
Recognizing Palestine is an important game-changer. This action places the Zionist regime in an existential crisis and shifts the balance of power in the conflict in favor of Palestine for the first time. The Zionist regime’s past strategy of managing the occupation through military superiority and unconditional American support is no longer effective.
The Zionist regime now faces a strategic choice: continue the status quo, which means accepting isolation, economic stagnation, and becoming an increasingly detested regime internationally, or accept Palestinian sovereignty over the territories it occupies.
This process is not the end, but the beginning of a new and costly chapter for the Zionist regime.