Seyed Jafar Qanadbashi, in an interview with the website of the Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, stated: This action is not a real turning point on the path to the establishment of a Palestinian state but merely an attempt to evade accountability for the 22 months of crimes and massacres committed by the Israeli regime in the Gaza Strip.

This analyst believes that although this move ostensibly supports Palestine, in reality, it is a political and diplomatic gesture that offers no guarantee for the realization of Palestinian rights. However, he warns that if countries take this gesture seriously and act upon it, it could be a starting point for ending the Gaza massacre and increasing diplomatic pressure on the Israeli regime, although the path is very long and complex.

Political Gesture of the West and the Failure to Apply Real Pressure on the Zionist Regime

Qanadbashi says: “The recognition of the State of Palestine by European governments is more a reaction to global public opinion pressure than a real action to end the violence.” In his view, “These governments, led by France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, over the past 22 months, despite their political, military, and logistical support for the Israeli regime, have not practically taken responsibility for the repeated crimes in the Gaza Strip, and now, with a political gesture and a forward escape, they want to shirk accountability.”

Seyed Jafar Qanadbashi, referring to the territorial structure of Palestine, explains that “Gaza and the West Bank are separate entities, and the designation of Jerusalem as the capital has practically disrupted the equations for forming an independent Palestinian state. Furthermore, treaty restrictions such as the prohibition on Palestinians forming an army, along with Netanyahu’s policies of fully occupying Gaza and expanding settlements in the West Bank and weakening Mahmoud Abbas’s government, show that there is practically no path for the formation of a Palestinian state. All international actions so far have been more theatrical and diplomatic. Moreover, without U.S. agreement, all efforts to form a Palestinian state will be futile because the White House will use all means to prevent the formation of a Palestinian state.”

The expert on West Asia and North Africa affairs believes that “these European gestures, although ostensibly in line with supporting Palestinian rights, practically do not change the real conditions.”

Despite his pessimistic view, Qanadbashi also holds out hope that “if this political gesture can become a turning point and Western and Arab countries take it seriously and take practical actions along with it, then perhaps the conditions can be seen as different from the past.” This expert explains that “the first step must be to end the massacre and crimes of the Israeli regime in the Gaza Strip, and then diplomatic equations can increase pressure on this regime to recognize Palestinian rights.” He adds that “the path to achieving this goal is very long, complex, and full of ifs and buts, but creating an international consensus and sustained diplomatic pressure can create hope.”

The senior analyst on West Asia and North Africa affairs pointed to past experiences and explained that “international communities have usually been unable to have a practical impact on the process of forming a Palestinian state with limited political gestures and without applying real pressure.” However, he emphasizes that “now there is an opportunity for European and Western countries to change the conditions in favor of the Palestinians with coordinated steps and the application of real diplomatic pressure.”

Seyed Jafar Qanadbashi also stated that “in the current conditions, even a mere political gesture, if accompanied by executive actions and international follow-up, could be the starting point of a long-term process for the realization of Palestinian rights.” He believes that only by combining diplomatic pressure, transparency in treaties, and global consensus can a real step be taken to change the field and diplomatic conditions of Palestine. However, the path remains complex and lengthy.