UN lobbies to recognize fictitious State of Palestine

The United Nations has become actively involved in lobbying its member states to recognize a fictitious State of Palestine that does not meet the legal requirements for statehood laid down in the 1933 Montevideo Convention.

Under Article 1 of the Montevideo Convention:

The state as a person of international law should possess the following qualifications: a ) a permanent population; b ) a defined territory; c ) government; and d) capacity to enter into relations with the other states.

The Bureau of the United Nations Committee for the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (Bureau) visited Trinidad and Tobago from 22 to 23 April 2024 to advocate for Palestinian rights and urged the Government to consider recognizing the State of Palestine – which clearly at this point of time is a fiction with no legal standing.

The Bureau went even further requesting Trinidad and Tobago establish full diplomatic relations with this fictitious state.

Why the UN is actively lobbying for the recognition of this fictitious state is a matter that Secretary General Antonio Guterres and Tor Wennesland - the Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, as well as the Personal Representative of the Secretary-General to the PLO and the Palestinian Authority – need to explain and justify.

Coming at a time when the Israel-Gaza War is still ongoing – the Bureau's lobbying will do nothing to end this conflict or solve the 100 years-old conflict between Jews and Arabs – only serve to exacerbate and prolong both conflicts.

One possible positive development coming from the Bureau's visit is buried in the Bureau's report:

Interlocutors expressed widespread support … for the promotion of a two-State solution.

Does the use of the term "a two-state solution" indicate the Bureau is prepared to consider an alternative two-state solution to the two-state solution embodied in United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 (UNSCR 2334): An independent state between Jordan and Israel?

The 2022 Saudi-based Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine solution calls for the merger of Jordan, Gaza and part of the West Bank into one territorial entity to be governed by the Hashemites and called "The Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine" with its capitol in Amman – not Jerusalem.

Its author is an advisor to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

Implementing this proposal would see:

• Palestinians in the 'West Bank', Gaza and stateless refugees getting full citizenship in the merged Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine with all the elements of sovereignty applicable to those Territories that belonging to a fully recognized state in the UN entail.
• UNSCR 2334 consigned to the diplomatic graveyard.

Incredibly – neither Guterres nor Wennesland has brought this alternative two-state solution to the General Assembly or Security Council for deliberation and consideration in the 21 months since its publication.

With the region threatening to turn into one horrific killing field – the need to find a solution that can avert such a humanitarian disaster is more urgent than ever.

Implementing this alternative two-state solution:

• Israel and
• The Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine

is a realistically-achievable solution based on fact – not fiction.

However galling it might be for Guterres and Wennesland to see UNSCR 2334 shredded – the current situation demands a clean sweep of UN policies to date and the serious consideration of implementing the Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine solution as the answer to preventing further conflict.

The Bureau should be investigating and evaluating the creation of the Hashemite Kingdom of Palestine in Israel-Jordan negotiations conducted in good faith – not expending its time and resources pursuing the recognition of a fictitious State of Palestine – which will do nothing to end the current conflict.

Is the penny finally starting to drop? That is the million-dollar question.