Palestinian state recognition by UK and France welcomed amid fears of annexation

Britain and France announced formal recognition of a Palestinian state this week, a move supporters say acknowledges Palestinian statehood and could help shape international pressure on the conflict as Israel expands control over parts of the West Bank. The step follows a decades-long push for recognition, and more than 140 nations have already recognized a Palestinian state; Western capitals say it signals support for a two-state solution even as negotiations remain stalled and violence persists in the region.

In Jenin, a 13-year-old boy, Islam Majarmeh, was killed at the entrance to the Jenin refugee camp earlier this month, drawing renewed attention to the human cost of the conflict. Abdel Aziz Majarmeh, the boy's father, stood beside the camp gate and said: "My son fell to the ground, and then I heard the sound of a shot." He described an army jeep arriving, soldiers pointing their weapons at him and ordering him to leave, and said he only later learned his son had been martyred. "There is no one for me to complain to," he added. "They control everything. The Palestinian Authority can't even protect itself – it only implements the decisions of the Jews." The Israeli army said it fired to neutralize a threat posed by suspects who approached a closed military area, but it did not clarify what threat the teenager posed.

The Jenin area has been under heavy Israeli operations since January, when tanks moved into Jenin and nearby Tulkarem after years of security cooperation on paper under the Oslo Accords. Israel says the measures are focused on destroying armed groups, but residents say the campaign also looks like an effort to reshape the demographics and status of the area. Jenin’s mayor, Mohammed Jarrar, told BBC reporters that about 40 percent of the city was now a military zone, with a quarter of residents displaced from their homes. "This is a major political plan, not a security operation," he said. "This Israeli government wants to annex the West Bank, and in preparation for that it wants to prevent any [armed] opposition to its plan." He added that the Palestinian Authority has been squeezed economically, with tax revenues withheld in a bid to pressure the PA to curb what Israel calls terrorism.

The Palestinian Authority said it has scrapped a long-standing payment scheme funding families of Palestinians killed or imprisoned and that funds for teachers and police are now harder to pay. The recognition by Britain, France and others adds international legitimacy to a Palestinian state idea that has already been recognized by many nations, though it will not by itself create a state with defined borders or control of territory in the West Bank. Jarrar acknowledged that recognition may intensify the occupation in practical terms, but said it matters because it will push the international community to defend Palestinian rights.

"For the Palestinian people, it confirms that a state exists, even if it is under occupation," Jarrar said. "I know that this recognition will lead to more occupation of the West Bank. But even so I believe recognition is more important, because it will shape the future of the Palestinian people, and the international community will be called on to defend their rights." In parallel, a hilltop outpost near Nablus has drawn attention to the reality of settler growth. Ayman Soufan, who has lived in the area for decades, described new residents arriving on the hill near the settlement of Yitzhar. "This outpost is to push us out of our house," he said. "Every day a settler comes, bangs on the house, shouting 'leave, leave!' They throw their garbage at our doorstep. The army never comes." He said settlers feel protected by a system that treats them as the de facto authority.

The expansion of settlements and outposts has intensified international debate about the path to Palestinian statehood. More than 100 new outposts have appeared across the West Bank in the last two years, according to Peace Now, which tracks settlement growth, and many residents say the Israeli authorities tacitly support such projects by providing roads, security and utilities. Israel has long argued that there can be no Palestinian state without its consent. The UK and France have been among the first Western powers to publicly recognize a Palestinian state, a move the Palestinians hailed as a political milestone even as it is unlikely to translate into immediate changes on the ground. Washington has not endorsed the creation of a Palestinian state but has not publicly criticized Israeli moves toward annexation, either.

In the decades since the Oslo Accords, Israeli narratives have hardened, armed Palestinian groups strengthened, and the control of the Palestinian Authority government has been eroded. Palestinans say the UK and France’s recognition signals a willingness by some European powers to acknowledge statehood despite ongoing occupation and settlement activity. The Gaza war, and questions over who will govern Gaza afterwards, have forced a confrontation with the political gridlock surrounding a two-state solution. Some Israelis describe the West Bank as a Wild West where sovereignty is defined by on-the-ground realities rather than formal declarations. For many Palestinians, the recognition by Britain, France and others is a political milestone that may increase international attention and accountability, even as daily life remains characterized by displacement, disrupted services, and a struggle to protect basic rights.

Abdel Aziz Majarmeh, who watched as his son Islam was killed and who has become a symbol of the human toll of the conflict, offered a bleak assessment of the broader stakes. "Palestine was never theirs and will never be theirs," he said. "Sooner or later, today, tomorrow, in a year or two, they will leave this country. And Palestine will be liberated." The question, observers say, is whether international recognition translates into real protections, defined borders, and durable political status for Palestinians living under occupation, or remains a symbolic gesture that changes little on the ground.