Recognition of Palestinian state offers no relief for traumatised Gazans
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Displaced Palestinians fleeing northern Gaza due to an Israeli military operation.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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CAIRO/GAZA – Israel’s military pushed deeper towards the most populated areas of Gaza City on Sept 23, a painful reminder for Gazans that Western powers’ recognition of a Palestinian state does not mean an end to the horrors of war as tanks approach.
Israel pressed on with its Gaza offensive a day after dozens of world leaders gathered at the United Nations to embrace a Palestinian state, a landmark diplomatic shift after nearly two years of war that faces fierce resistance from Israel and its close ally the US.
Medics said at least four people had been killed in an Israeli air strike on a residential building in Gaza City, which Israel has advised civilians to leave for southern Gaza as its tanks advance.
Explosions destroy homes and roads in Gaza
“We are not steadfast, we are helpless. We don’t have money to leave to the south, and we don’t have guarantees if we do the Israelis will not bomb us, so we are staying,” said Ms Huda, a mother of two from Gaza City.
“The children tremble all the time
Israeli forces detonated explosive-laden vehicles in the suburbs of Sabra and Tel Al-Hawa
Three hospitals were taken out of operation on Sept 22 because of Israel’s ground offensive in the city, further weakening the health system and depriving residents of medical care, local authorities said.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would recognise Palestinian statehood at a meeting he convened with Saudi Arabia – a milestone that could boost Palestinian morale but appeared unlikely to change much on the ground.
Israel has said such moves will undermine prospects for a peaceful end to the conflict.
Two-state solution
The two-state solution was the bedrock of the US-backed peace process ushered in by the 1993 Oslo Accords. The process suffered heavy pushback from both sides and has all but died.
No such negotiations over a two-state solution have been held since 2014.
The most far-right government in Israel’s history has declared there will be no Palestinian state as it pushes on with its fight against the militant group Hamas in Gaza following the Oct 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed some 1,200 people.
Israel has drawn global condemnation over its military conduct in Gaza, where more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed
Despite this, Israel has begun a ground assault on Gaza City with few prospects for a ceasefire, and wants Hamas to hand over the last hostages it seized in the 2023 attack on Israel.
Gaza City is the capital of the Gaza Strip and used to house Hamas’ most powerful battalions before the war.
“Are we now being killed as the citizens of the state of Palestine? Is that what happened?” asked Mr Abu Mustafa, hours after he fled his Gaza City home because Israeli tanks were close.
“Those countries who suddenly remembered Palestine was occupied forgot that Gaza is being wiped out. We want the war to end. We want our slaughter to end. That is what we need now, not declarations.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dismissed the global criticism of his military campaign and Israel’s increasing isolation, and said the war will not stop until Hamas is eliminated.
But he has not produced a plan to manage the future of Gaza, much of which has been reduced to rubble, after the war ends.
Trump to address UN General Assembly
US President Donald Trump will meet leaders and officials from multiple Muslim-majority countries on Sept 23 and discuss the situation in Gaza, a sliver of land under pressure from a humanitarian crisis including widespread hunger.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Sept 22 that Mr Trump would hold a multilateral meeting with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan. A person familiar with the matter said Gaza would be discussed.
Axios said Mr Trump would present the group with a proposal for peace and post-war governance in Gaza.
Washington wants Arab and Muslim countries to agree to send military forces to Gaza to enable Israel’s withdrawal and to secure funding for transition and rebuilding programs, Axios reported.
In February, Mr Trump proposed a US takeover of Gaza
It was labelled as an “ethnic cleansing” proposal by rights experts and the UN
Mr Trump cast the plan as a redevelopment idea.
Mr Trump will address the UN General Assembly on Sept 23. REUTERS
