Published November 29, 2020
Today, as the world marks the anniversary of the UN General Assembly’s adoption of
Resolution 181, which calls for the establishment of two states – one Jewish and one Arab —
on the territory that constituted Mandatory Palestine, the Policy Working Group is calling for
global recognition of the State of Palestine without delay. Recognition of Palestine would fulfill
the right of both nations to exercise self-determination and would forge a path toward
coexistence, peace, security, and prosperity for both Israelis and Palestinians.
Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise in the occupied territories, which began following the 1967
war, continues to grow at a rapid pace. Boosted by the support received from Donald Trump’s
administration and following a decade of Netanyahu rule, the scope of Israeli settlement on
Palestinian lands is at the brink of making a two-state solution impossible.
The internationally agreed parameters for a resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict foresee a
Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital, but the
possibility of establishing a viable, sovereign, independent State of Palestine alongside the
State of Israel is eluding us. Declarations by world leaders and global entities in support of the
two-state solution are insufficient. The time has come for them to act.
We call upon the international community to recognize the State of Palestine now, as a prelude
to rather than a result of negotiations. Such recognition would create parity of esteem between
the parties to the conflict and renew the Palestinian people’s faith in diplomacy as the path to
liberation. Moreover, 73 years after the passage of Resolution 181 and 27 years after the
signing of the Oslo Accords, it is long overdue.
Amb. (ret.) Ilan Baruch Amb.
PWG Chairperson
(ret.) Dr. Alon Liel
PWG Advocacy Team Member
Ms. Susie Becher
PWG Communications Director