{"id":9035,"date":"2025-08-03T22:25:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-03T13:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/?p=9035"},"modified":"2025-08-04T01:29:50","modified_gmt":"2025-08-03T16:29:50","slug":"analysis-g7-revolts-west-turns-on-israel-over-palestine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/news\/analysis-g7-revolts-west-turns-on-israel-over-palestine\/","title":{"rendered":"ANALYSIS-G7 Revolts: West Turns on Israel Over Palestine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
By Ahmed Fathi<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
UNHQ, New York <\/em> (INPS Japan\/ATN) – <\/strong>The high-level UN Conference on the Two-State Solution, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, began with familiar rhetoric and cautious expectations. But by its close, it had produced something rare in modern diplomacy: a visible, collective shift in global posture toward the long-delayed recognition of the State of Palestine. And critically, the shift is no longer driven by the Global South\u2014it\u2019s being led, for the first time, by members of the G7<\/strong>.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

A Diplomatic Domino Effect<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Ahmed
Ahmed Fathi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It began with France<\/strong>, whose President Emmanuel Macron<\/strong> announced on July 24<\/strong> that Paris will formally recognize the State of Palestine during the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in September<\/strong>. Five days later, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy<\/strong>, invoking the historical burden of the Balfour Declaration, declared that Britain will do the same<\/strong>\u2014unless Israel ends its military campaign in Gaza and recommits to a genuine two-state framework. His remarks carried weight and clarity: “The Netanyahu government\u2019s rejection of a two-state solution is wrong\u2014morally and strategically.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then, on July 30<\/strong>, Canada\u2019s Prime Minister Mark Carney<\/strong> joined the movement, pledging recognition in September\u2014conditional on internal Palestinian Authority (PA) reforms and credible plans for 2026 elections excluding Hamas<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within one week, three G7 nations<\/strong>\u2014France, the UK, and Canada\u2014broke with decades of Western diplomatic ambiguity. That\u2019s nearly half of the bloc moving toward unilateral recognition, with Portugal<\/strong> now also announcing its intent to follow suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cracks in the Wall: Israel\u2019s Growing Isolation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the most striking development is that these recognitions are not being led by ideological adversaries of Israel<\/strong>, but by historic allies<\/strong>. And more importantly, they\u2019re being catalyzed by disillusionment with Israel\u2019s current leadership<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nowhere is this clearer than in Europe. The Netherlands<\/strong>, long a stalwart partner of Israel, has for the first time designated Israel as a national security risk<\/strong> due to its far-right leadership and humanitarian violations in Gaza. Dutch authorities have even introduced targeted sanctions and travel bans<\/strong> on Itamar Ben-Gvir<\/strong>, Israel\u2019s National Security Minister, and Bezalel Smotrich<\/strong>, the Finance Minister. EU-wide proposals for broader sanctions are under debate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This isn’t just reputational damage\u2014it’s institutional isolation<\/strong>, even within traditionally protective multilateral frameworks like the European Union<\/strong> and NATO<\/strong>. With France, Ireland, Spain, Norway, and now Portugal<\/strong> leading a recognition cascade, and Germany and Belgium under pressure to follow, Israel faces an unprecedented erosion of Western support<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Conference That Delivered\u2014But Not As Expected<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conference, convened under UNGA Resolution 79\/81, unfolded in classic UN fashion\u2014plenary sessions, impassioned speeches, photo ops. But it produced three game-changing effects:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Political Alignment Among Major Western States<\/strong>
    What began as symbolic diplomacy quickly transformed into policy commitments<\/strong>\u00a0by France, the UK, and Canada. Their announcements didn’t just endorse a two-state vision\u2014they set deadlines<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Moral Clarity from The Elders<\/strong>
    At a parallel press briefing hosted by the United Nations Correspondents Association (UNCA)<\/strong>, Mary Robinson<\/strong>, Juan Manuel Santos<\/strong>, and Zeid Ra\u2019ad Al-Hussein<\/strong>\u00a0confronted the Gaza crisis head-on. Robinson accused Israel\u2019s government of \u201ccommitting genocide,\u201d citing B\u2019Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights\u2013Israel. Santos warned that eliminating Hamas as a concept is a \u201cstrategic delusion.\u201d Zeid emphasized that the two-state vision is no longer theory\u2014it\u2019s \u201can expression of justice and humanity.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Arab World Consensus on Hamas Disarmament<\/strong> For the first time, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt<\/strong>\u00a0jointly called for Hamas to disarm and step aside from governance in Gaza<\/strong>\u2014a coordinated message previously avoided due to regional divisions. This adds weight to the argument that recognition of Palestine must also include governance reform<\/strong>, not just anti-occupation rhetoric.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    What the G7 Can (and Can\u2019t) Achieve<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This collective momentum by G7 members carries enormous potential:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Diplomatic Leverage<\/strong>: Recognition alters the playing field. It internationalizes Palestine\u2019s status and pressures Israel to re-enter negotiations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • UN Voting Dynamics<\/strong>: More G7 votes for Palestine could reshape Security Council debates, intensify pressure on the U.S. veto, and amplify Global South demands.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Legal Grounds<\/strong>: Palestine gains stronger legal standing at the International Criminal Court (ICC)<\/strong>\u00a0and International Court of Justice (ICJ)<\/strong>\u2014and could pursue cases tied to occupation, war crimes, and apartheid.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Financial Ramifications<\/strong>: EU sanctions, trade freezes, and Israeli debt downgrades are now within reach.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      But recognition is not a silver bullet<\/strong>. It won\u2019t end the occupation<\/strong>, nor will it magically rebuild Gaza or unify a fragmented Palestinian polity. What it does do is shift the diplomatic consensus<\/strong>\u2014and in a space where consensus is power, that shift is seismic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      America, Trump, and the Contrarian Stance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      With Donald J. Trump<\/strong> back in the White House as the 47th President of the United States<\/strong>, the U.S. now stands virtually alone among G7 powers in opposing Palestinian recognition<\/strong>. President Trump has vigorously defended Israel<\/strong>, opposed all ICC inquiries, and dismissed the conference as \u201canother UN circus that rewards terrorists and punishes allies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      His administration has cut funding<\/strong> to UN agencies including UNRWA, blocked consensus<\/strong> at the Security Council, and reaffirmed unconditional military and diplomatic support<\/strong> for the Netanyahu government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      But this contrarian stance is growing increasingly politically isolated<\/strong>, even among America\u2019s closest allies. What was once Washington\u2019s unified Western front is now fracturing into divergent paths<\/strong>: one pursuing accountability and statehood, the other doubling down on impunity and stagnation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Final Thought: Credibility Has a Shelf Life<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      The message from this past week is clear: Israel\u2019s credibility among Western democracies is eroding rapidly<\/strong>, not because of anti-Israel sentiment\u2014but because of Israel\u2019s own policies<\/strong> under its current far-right leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      And while Washington still shields Israel at the UN, the moral consensus is shifting. The two-state solution is no longer just a talking point<\/strong>\u2014it is becoming a defining test of international integrity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Recognition of Palestine by G7 members doesn\u2019t end the conflict. But it does signal that the era of rhetorical two-state lip service\u2014with no consequences for endless occupation\u2014is drawing to a close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      And for the first time in decades, it\u2019s not just the Global South calling for justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      It\u2019s London. It\u2019s Paris. It\u2019s Ottawa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Washington may still resist\u2014but history, it seems, is moving without it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      INPS Japan<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      By Ahmed Fathi UNHQ, New York (INPS Japan\/ATN) – The high-level UN Conference on the Two-State Solution, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, began with familiar rhetoric and cautious expectations. But by its close, it had produced something rare in modern diplomacy: a visible, collective shift in global posture toward the long-delayed recognition of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9036,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,16,93,32],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-9035","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-global-regions","8":"category-news","9":"category-politics","10":"category-regions"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9035"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9035\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9041,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9035\/revisions\/9041"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inpsjapan.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}