{"text":[[{"start":7.94,"text":"The recognition of a Palestinian state by some of Israel’s longest-standing western allies is a landmark moment. It underscores the scale of global outrage, and desperation, over Israel’s near two-year war in Gaza and its creeping annexation of the occupied West Bank."}],[{"start":28.68,"text":"On Sunday the UK, Canada, Australia and Portugal took the historic step. France and others were set to follow suit on Monday. Significantly, three G7 members are joining more than 140 other nations in formally recognising a Palestinian state, when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government is bent on destroying any lingering aspirations for a two-state solution to the protracted conflict."}],[{"start":58.07,"text":"Recognition is largely symbolic and will not change the conditions on the ground in the Palestinian territories or hasten an end to the catastrophic war that Israel is waging. Crucially, the US, the one power with leverage over Israel, opposes the moves. But, when the global south believes a hypocritical west has been turning a blind eye to the awful suffering in the besieged strip and Israel’s actions in the West Bank, it reinforces international backing for Palestinians’ legitimate right to statehood. It bolsters the notion that the only sustainable solution to the crisis lies in Palestinians and Israelis reaching a settlement that addresses both sides’ legitimate concerns and allows them to coexist side by side in peace."}],[{"start":108.67,"text":"Recognition risks provoking Netanyahu, who, in his own words, has spent years working against the creation of a Palestinian state. He charges that the move rewards Hamas for its horrific October 7 2023 attack, when militants killed 1,200 people and seized 250 hostages, according to Israeli officials. But that view is as narrow as it is short-sighted: recognising a Palestinian state is support for a viable alternative that would neuter the militancy that the extremists feed off and offer the hope of an end to the countless cycles of violence."}],[{"start":150.2,"text":"Israel’s friends that are now recognising a Palestinian state could not have been clearer in their condemnation of Hamas and its despicable treatment of Israeli hostages, and in their demands for them to be released. But Netanyahu’s refusal to end Israel’s offensive, engage in a postwar plan, or rein in rampaging settlers in the West Bank has left its allies with little choice."}],[{"start":176.48,"text":"Since Hamas’s October 7 attack, Israeli bombs and bulldozers have rendered Gaza uninhabitable, destroying the very fabric of society in the strip. Netanyahu broke the ceasefire deal the US brokered in January that was designed to free the hostages and end the conflict. Growing numbers of experts have since concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, while the Palestinian death toll has soared past 65,000, according to local health officials."}],[{"start":207.76999999999998,"text":"In tandem, Israel has stepped up its push towards de facto, if not yet de jure, annexation of the West Bank, announcing dozens of new settlements that are deemed illegal under international law, while chipping away at what limited Palestinian authority exists."}],[{"start":226.80999999999997,"text":"Netanyahu’s far-right allies make no effort to hide their intentions of destroying the concept of a Palestinian homeland. Israel’s premier may now move ahead with formal annexation of parts of the West Bank. If he does, western states must be ready to respond with tough, punitive measures against Israel."}],[{"start":248.53999999999996,"text":"It is true that the possibilities of a two-state solution have never looked so remote. Aside from Israel’s conduct, Palestinian leaders have done themselves no favours; the western-backed Palestinian Authority, which administers limited parts of the West Bank, is weak and lacks credible leadership. But to give up on two states as part of a just and viable resolution to decades of conflict would mean caving in to the extremists on all sides. This is no time to give up on peace."}],[{"start":289.06,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftmailbox.cn/album/a_1758608518_8573.mp3"}