Palestinians in West Bank fear recognition is not enough

In Ramallah, the actual Palestinian capital of the occupied West Bank – many of them are afraid of the recognition of the West of the Palestinian state.

“I’m really glad to see our suffering in Palestine and understand the problems we’ve experienced,” says 23 -year -old Diaa, 23 -year -old, doesn’t want to give the full name.

“But even though recognition is important, what we really need is solutions.”

This city is home to government buildings, diplomatic tasks and an expanding presidential palace.

However, for many Palestinians, the dream of the East Jerusalem – just a few miles south of Jerusalem, but where Israel’s separation barrier is largely cut – the dream of a two -state solution that will create an independent Palestine with Israel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

England, France, Australia, Canada, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, Andorra and Monaco announced that the Palestinian state was officially recognized at the UN general assembly in New York this week.

Kamal Daowd 40, a busy Ramallah street, says, “After all this time, recognition is positive,” he says. “But this will not be enough without international pressure.”

“Recognition comes to us without giving us our rights, or he says. “Then it’s nothing but ink on paper.”

Israel described the Western movement as “award for terrorism”. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated on Sunday, “There will be no Palestinian state” – the ultranatational in the administration coalition went further and reiterated the calls to add Israel to the West Light.

“The only answer,” he wrote that the far -right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, “The stupid idea of ​​the Palestinian state is removed from the agenda forever.”

Britain and Germany said that they warned Israel against the annexes, while the UN Secretary General António Guterres said the conference on Monday would be “moral, legally and politically unbearable.”

During the 1967 Middle East War, Israel established approximately 160 settlements with 700,000 Jews for invading the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The estimated 3,3 million Palestinians live. Settlements are illegal in accordance with international law.

Israel, who killed approximately 1,200 people to Southern Israel led by Hamas and took hostage of 251 and triggered the war in Gaza, tightened his control over the West Bank.

In the northern refugee camps, he targeted the pockets of armed Palestinian resistance, carried out large military operations and large -scale building demolitions and changed many people from their homes.

Up and down in the region, hundreds of new Israeli military control points appeared, usually accompanied by sudden road closure. Palestinians say short journeys can now continue.

The Palestinian Authority (PA), which rules the parts of the region that is not under Israeli control, was under long -term economic siege and withholding the tax revenues that Israel had to pay to the teacher and the police. Salaries were halved and some personnel ordered only two days a week to work.

The Jewish settlers increased the attacks on the Palestinians and identified the scores of new police stations without Israeli government authority.

At the same time, the Israeli government launched a large settlement pressure, including a large E1 project near Jerusalem, which will build 3,400 houses for settlers. Right groups say that he will effectively divide the West Bank into two by destroying the hopes of a adjacent Palestinian state.

“Whoever tries to get to know a Palestinian state in the world, he will take our answer to the ground,” Smotrich is a settler with control over planning in the West Bank. He said. “Not by documents or decisions, but with facts. The realities of the houses, the realities of the neighborhoods.”

Previous visions of a two -state solution contained land swaps. In 2008, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made a plan in talks with PA President Mahmud Abbas, who would see that he had controlled 4.9% of Israel’s land in exchange for an equal amount of Palestinian land in the West Bank.

The plan was never accepted, and 17 years later, the settlements spread so deep to the West Bank that the Palestinians were afraid that the map was very disintegrated for a applicable state.

As for Gaza, demolition is tremendous. According to the Ministry of Health, operated by Hamas, more than 65,000 Palestinians were killed during Israel’s military campaign and most of the 2.1 million population was displaced.

It estimates that 92% of the UN residential units are damaged or destroyed, and 91% of schools are damaged by 86% of the cultivated lands, where full restructuring or major rehabilitation requires. It is thought that the restructuring of the region in the next 10 years will be more than 45 billion £.

PA’s biggest fraction Fatah’s senior member Sabri Sail, “Everyone is tired, everyone is exhausted, everyone is losing hope that the international community will be effective in consolidating recognition.” Says.

But does he still believe that a Palestinian state can emerge?

“If I didn’t believe it, we wouldn’t have put much energy for recognition, or he says. “It’s time to convince American administration that history has changed.”

This can be difficult. The US Department of State accused more than 80 Palestinian officials, including President Abbas, of joining the UN General Assembly of this week of “weakening expectations for peace”.

For ordinary Palestinians like Diaa, the situation is increasingly gloomy. “People think the national dream is almost impossible, or he says.