Cabinet papers are usually prepared by ministries with input from impartial public servants. The process over Palestine raises wider questions about transparency.
Articles on Palestinian statehood
Displaying 1 - 20 of 31 articles
Donald Trump’s ambitious Gaza peace plan gives New Zealand another chance to reconsider when is the right time to recognise a Palestinian state.
By not joining its close allies over the question of Palestinian statehood, NZ risks being ‘on the wrong side of history’.
Diplomatic recognition, when done in concert, carries more heft than isolated gestures – and governments know this.
The majority of UN members already recognize a Palestinian state. Some prominent Western states are following suit – but to what end?
Palestinian-American historian Maha Nassar traces the history of Palestinian efforts to build an independent state. Listen on The Conversation Weekly podcast.
If New Zealand expressly recognises Palestine at the UN next week, it will be a significant – but justified – departure from long-standing foreign policy.
Invites are rescinded, teams and singers are booed, and citizens wonder if they should disclose their nationality. Israelis are feeling the effects of international isolation.
After the Home Affairs Department cancelled the visas of prominent Israeli politicians, the Netanyahu government quickly retaliated.
Conditional recognition of a Palestinian state by other countries is politically and legally questionable. A more straightforward statement from NZ would help.
However, the Coalition’s decision to say it would reverse Palestinian recognition if elected was both unnecessary and unwise.
The cautious, conditional endorsements from Canada and the U.K. reflect the workings of a dated international system that governs the birth of states.
While the split in bipartisanship on the Israel-Palestinian conflict has come to a head this week, it has been in the making for some time.
A future state is complicated by the sheer number of Israeli settlers in the occupied territories and the barriers Israel has constructed to separate Palestinians.
Anthony Albanese said the move was predicated on the condition that Hamas would not be a part of a future Palestinian state.
The UK has said it will recognise Palestine unless Israel agrees to a ceasefire in Gaza and humanitarian aid resumes. But this could set a dangerous legal precedent.
While Labour’s frontbench held the line for much of the past year, rank-and-file discontent has grown – and with it, the political risks.
Recognising Palestinian statehood is an important step, but without a formal political process, remains largely a symbolic gesture.
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee suggested that a Palestinian state was not on the table anytime soon.
Four criteria are generally used to define a state in international law. From our authors’ perspective, Palestine appears to meet all four.
Top contributors
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Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
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Associate Professor in the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies, University of Arizona
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Associate Professor in International Politics, University of Birmingham
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Lecturer in History, UNSW
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Lecturer in Law, University of East London
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MSCA Postdoctoral Fellow, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
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Associate Professor in Law, University of Canterbury
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Postdoctoral research fellow, Flinders University; University of Canberra
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PhD Candidate, College of Law, Australian National University
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Professor of International Law, Australian National University
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Scholar-in-residence at the Center for Israeli Studies, American University
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Lecturer in law, Royal Holloway, University of London
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Visiting Professor of Contemporary History and Human Rights, Kingston University
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Professor in Law, University of Canterbury
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Lecturer, Department of Government and International Relations, University of Sydney