Photos of the aftermath of an Israeli strike on the headquarters of Iran state television in Tehran
Photos of the aftermath of an Israeli strike on the headquarters of Iran state television in Tehran
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The Independent
22 minutes ago
- The Independent
Recognising a state of Palestine doesn't breach international law
There are now two questions, sometimes unhelpfully conflated, about Palestine: can it be a sovereign nation state, and should it be a sovereign nation state? The answer to both is yes. Recognising the state of Palestine is not like trying to recognise some fantasy entity such as 'Ruritaniana'. It is not a made-up construct. There is some talk that it is, and cannot be, a country under international law, as set out by the Montevideo Convention of 1933. Aside from the fact that this concerned the Organisation of American States and was particular to that hemisphere, it has never been signed by the UK or many other nations. It is now being cited by distinguished lawyers as a reason not to recognise the state of Palestine because Palestine doesn't satisfy some or all of the convention, namely: a permanent population; a defined territory; a government; and the capacity to enter into relations with other states. It should seem to any reasonable person that the present Palestinian Authority, which is still nominally responsible for Gaza, even with Hamas in de facto control until lately, satisfies the criteria. It doesn't have a stable population in Gaza at the moment, but only because the Israelis keep moving it around to a shifting 'place of safety' that really doesn't exist. Within the borders of Gaza, the population is, aside from mortality due to war and famine, stable in the sense that it is trapped. Second, 'a defined territory'. Well, that's satisfied as well. It is the Israeli Occupied Territories of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. There are lots of disputes about those territories, not least among Israelis who wish to annexe or colonise some or all of Palestine. There is also the undeniable ambition of Hamas and some individual Palestinians to establish their country 'from the river to the sea' and extinguish Israel and the people within it. There's no point denying that – just as there are people in many other places who want to destroy their neighbouring countries and peoples. Some Israelis want to eradicate Palestine in the way President Putin wants to absorb Ukraine into Russia, but both those countries enjoy wide international recognition. The borders of Palestine today are actually quite clear. No international border is immutable; otherwise, Ireland and Italy would not exist, and much of the southern United States would be French. They are negotiable, in the wider cause of peace, but they are there, in Palestine, on maps. Third, 'a government'. Obviously, there is now no government in Gaza, because of war, but there is a Palestinian Authority, with a head of government, President Abbas, and a capital, Ramallah. A state that is partly occupied or has a secessionist rebel administration set up can still be internationally recognised. Hamas is not going to be recognised as a sovereign regime. Last, the capacity to enter into relations with other states. Some 140 nations recognise the state of Palestine already, and it has observer representation at the United Nations. Palestine is similar to territories such as Kosovo, Somaliland and Taiwan in this kind of legal limbo, but widespread international recognition tends to be part of a judgement about whether such states are, or have the right to be, truly sovereign and independent. So the state of Palestine can exist, and it can be viable. As to whether Palestine should exist because of the threat to Israel, that is actually a more valid question than the legalistic arguments about a dusty convention set up by the Organisation of American States. The point of recognition is that it leads to an agreed two-state solution, and that is one where Israel is satisfied that Palestine is not an existential threat, which means Hamas and, far more important, the Hamas mindset is not in the equation. A peaceful and stable Palestinian state is the answer to the problems of the region, not the cause of them. It is the unsatisfied national aspiration of the Palestinian people that is the cause of the friction on that side of the conflict, just as Israeli expansionism, the illegal settler incursions into the West Bank, and the calls for mass exodus of Palestinians are the threat on the other side. A sovereign Palestine can peacefully co-exist with Israel, and vice versa. It seems fanciful today, even naive, but the logic is inescapable. The alternative is more or less permanent war and terror across the entire region.
Reuters
23 minutes ago
- Reuters
Talks on two-state solution must begin, German minister says on way to Israel
BERLIN, July 31 (Reuters) - Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Thursday the recognition of a Palestinian state comes more at the end of the negotiations for a two-state solution but that process must begin now, warning Berlin would respond to "unilateral steps". "A negotiated two-state solution remains the only path that can offer people on both sides a life in peace, security, and dignity," he said in a statement issued shortly before his trip on Thursday to Israel and the Palestinian territories. "For Germany, the recognition of a Palestinian state comes more at the end of that process. But such a process must begin now."
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Iranian president says country is on brink of dire water crisis
DUBAI, July 31 (Reuters) - Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian warned against excessive water consumption which he said was untenable for the country and could leave Tehran facing severe shortages by September, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Thursday. Faced with resource mismanagement and over-consumption, Iran has faced recurrent electricity, gas and water shortages during peak demand months. "In Tehran, if we cannot manage and people do not cooperate in controlling consumption, there won't be any water in dams by September or October," Pezeshkian said on Thursday. The country has faced drought conditions for the last five years according to the director of the Environmental Protection Organisation Sheena Ansari and the Meteorological Organisation recorded a 40% drop in rainfall over the last four months compared to a long-term average. "Neglecting sustainable development has led to the fact that we are now facing numerous environmental problems like water stress," Ansari told state media on Thursday. Excessive water consumption represents a major challenge for water management in Iran, with the head of Tehran province's water and wastewater company Mohsen Ardakani telling Mehr news agency that 70% of Tehran residents consume more than the standard 130 litres a day. Natural resource management has been a chronic challenge for authorities, whether it is natural gas consumption or water use, as solutions require major reforms, notably in the agricultural sector which represents as much as 80% of water consumption. On Wednesday, Pezeshkian rejected a government proposal to impose a day-off on Wednesdays or having a one-week holiday during the summer, saying that "closing down is a cover-up and not a solution to the water shortage problem". In the summer of 2021, protests took place against water shortages in southwestern Iran.
