Is Washington really willing to be the ‘lonely outlier’ on the Palestinian issue? Global Times editorial

By Global Times Published: Sep 22, 2025

https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202509/1344133.shtml

On Sunday local time, Australia, Canada and the UK announced their recognition of Palestinian statehood. Reports show that France, Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg, Portugal, Malta, and San Marino also plan to recognize the State of Palestine at a high-level conference of the UN General Assembly on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and the implementation of the two-state solution on September 22 or the previous day. This will further expand the ranks of UN member states - already more than two-thirds - that recognize a Palestinian state. An overwhelming majority view within the international community has already taken shape.

This new "wave of recognition" comes precisely from the US' traditional allies who had consistently obstructed this process. On September 18, at the 10,000th meeting of the UN Security Council, the US once again exercised its veto to block a draft resolution demanding Gaza ceasefire. 14 out of the Council's 15 members voted in favor. The lopsided 14-to-1 vote is striking. In fact, US positions now run counter to the prevailing views of the international community, while even its European allies are recalibrating their stance - making the rift between the US and Europe over the Palestinian question increasingly evident. 

For a long time, Western countries have tended to criticize Palestine while sympathizing with Israel. However, with the outbreak of the latest round of conflict between Israel and Palestine - especially the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza - public attention within European countries toward the Palestinian question has risen markedly, and calls for recognizing the State of Palestine have grown steadily louder. Over the past two years, sympathy for Palestine in the West has gradually evolved into large-scale social movements and public opinion campaigns, with waves of protests, demonstrations, and rallies in support of the Palestinians erupting one after another.

Traditionally, the international community believed that the Israel-Palestine conflict could be resolved through dialogue under the mediation of the US or other third parties, addressing sensitive issues such as the final status of Jerusalem, the allocation of land in the West Bank, the relationship between Gaza and the West Bank, the resettlement of Palestinian refugees, and the distribution of water resources to promote peace. Yet in recent years, the very foundations of peace have been steadily eroded, and the US has done little to seriously promote Israel-Palestine negotiations over the past decade. Meanwhile, Israel has continued to expand settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, enacting domestic legislation to entrench its occupation and control over disputed areas, thereby further constraining the living space of Palestinians. 

Rebuilding a vision for peace and re-establishing the political principle of a "two-state solution" have become essential preconditions for any peaceful settlement of the Israel-Palestine issue. The recent push by some Western countries to recognize Palestinian statehood is precisely a reflection of this logic in practice.

"How many more innocent lives must be lost before a ceasefire can be achieved in Gaza? How many more tragedies will it take before humanitarian aid can flow unimpeded?" The soul-stirring questions posed by China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Fu Cong, reflect the harsh reality of the Gaza Strip. Since the outbreak of the latest round of Israel-Palestine conflict, Israeli military operations in Gaza have resulted in the deaths of over 65,000 Palestinians, leading to famine in the region and forcing more than two million residents to flee their homes. Israel's regional policies have become increasingly hardline, showing little compromise even when faced with third-party mediation, which has resulted in repeated obstacles to ceasefire negotiations. 

On other pressing issues, Israel has also taken a multi-pronged approach, launching military operations not only in Syria and Lebanon but also directly targeting Iran in the Gulf region, and even recently attacking targets within Qatar. This aggressive stance has raised deep concerns within the international community about the potential for the situation in the Middle East to spiral out of control. Rather than achieving "greater security," these actions have left Israel "more isolated."

The US continues to unilaterally uphold Israel's diplomatic, political, and military interests. Israel may still insist on a hardline regional and foreign policy based on its own strategic and national interests. Western countries face obstacles in forming a true consensus on acknowledging Palestinian statehood. However, in the long run, a shift in the Western attitudes represents an increasingly clear stance by the international community on the Israel-Palestine issue. This shift will not only drive policy adjustments within international organizations and multilateral mechanisms but will also further solidify the political principles of the "two-state solution," providing a more solid legal foundation and international public opinion support for the recognition of a Palestinian state.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, giving this session of the General Assembly extraordinary significance. The high-level meeting of the General Assembly on September 22 will provide an important platform for the international community to once again build consensus. As a crucial third party in the Israel-Palestine issue, the actions of the US severely hinder the realization of international calls for justice and the prompt achievement of a ceasefire. The strong consensus reached by the international community fully reflects that the "two-state solution" is not an option but a necessity; it is not a future possibility but a present reality. Relevant countries should reevaluate its Middle East policy, fulfill its international responsibilities, and make the right decisions that are accountable to life and history.