Starmer finally said it: We recognise Palestine.' But Gaza desperately needs action where is that? | Nesrine Malik

"Palestinian statehood has always existed, and recognising that fact confers credibility on the recognisers, and not the Palestinian claim to their inalienable rights. As part of the shifting tide against Israel, even in the United States, recognition of a Palestinian state enshrines what the Israeli state seems committed to erasing once and for all the legitimate claim of Palestinians to their own land."

"As the activist Arab Barghouthi told the Guardian last week, the recognition protects the idea of a Palestinian state, because the Israeli government is bragging about the fact that they are killing the idea of a Palestinian state. And diplomatically, when countries like Britain and France and Canada recognise Palestine, that means something. Such gestures are important, especially for a cause that is fundamentally about a people's right to exist in sovereignty on their own land."

Canada, Australia and Britain coordinated recognition of a Palestinian state, correcting historical denial and affirming Palestinian sovereignty. Recognition confers credibility on the recognisers and protects the idea of Palestinian statehood against efforts to erase Palestinian claims to land. Diplomatic recognition by major Western states grants status, respect and international treaty relations and pushes back against propaganda that equates recognition with rewarding Hamas. Such gestures reinforce a people's right to sovereign existence on their land. However, the pathway to recognition was marred by ignoble actions and flawed rationale, with Britain's response characterised by belatedness and timidity over the Gaza situation.

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