Several more countries have formally recognised Palestinian statehood at a world summit  by France and Saudi Arabia, a day after Australia, Britain, Canada and Portugal took the step, angering Israel.

Status of Palestinian statehood

The Palestine Liberation Organisation declared an independent Palestinian state in 1988, and most of the global South quickly recognised it. Today, about 150 of the 193 UN member states have done so.

Israel’s main ally, the United States, has long said it supports the goal of a Palestinian state, but only after the Palestinians and Israel agree on terms for a two-state solution at negotiations. Until recent weeks, the major European powers shared this position.

However, no such Israeli-Palestinian negotiations have been held since 2014, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has now said there will never be a Palestinian state.

A delegation representing the State of Palestine has observer status at the UN — but no voting rights. No matter how many countries recognise Palestinian independence, full UN membership would require approval by the Security Council, where Washington has a veto.

Palestinian diplomatic missions worldwide are controlled by the Palestinian Authority, which is recognised internationally as representing the Palestinian people.

The PA, led by President Mahmoud Abbas, exercises limited self-rule in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank under agreements with Israel. It issues Palestinian passports and runs the Palestinian health and education systems.

The Gaza Strip has been administered by the Hamas since 2007, when it drove out Abbas’s Fatah movement after a brief civil war.

Embassies?

Palestinian diplomatic missions in countries recognising a Palestinian state are expected to be upgraded to the full status of embassies. But countries are not expected to be able to open new, fully-fledged embassies in the Palestinian territories, where Israel controls access.

Around 40 countries have consulates or representative offices either in the PA’s West Bank base Ramallah or in parts of Jerusalem captured by Israel in 1967, where the Palestinians hope to have their capital.

Israel considers all of Jerusalem its own undivided capital. Fully-fledged embassies in Israel are mostly located in Tel Aviv, although the US moved its embassy to Jerusalem during President Donald Trump’s first term.

Aim of recognition

Countries moving to recognise a Palestinian state say the move is intended to put pressure on Israel to end its devastating assault on Gaza, curtail the building of new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and recommit to a peace process with the Palestinians.

French President Emmanuel Macron, the first leader of a major Western power to endorse recognition, said the move would be accompanied by a commitment by the PA to enact reforms, which would improve Palestinian governance and make it a more credible partner for the post-war administration of Gaza.

What does recognition means in practice?

Those who see recognition as a mere gesture point to the limited influence in the conflict of countries such as China, India, Russia and many Arab states that recognised Palestinian independence decades ago.

Without a full seat at the UN or control of its own borders, the PA has only limited ability to conduct bilateral relations.

Israel restricts access for goods, investment and educational or cultural exchanges. There are no Palestinian airports. The landlocked West Bank can be reached only through Israel or through the Israeli-controlled border with Jordan, and Israel now controls all access to the Gaza Strip since capturing Gaza’s border with Egypt during the ongoing war.

Still, countries planning recognition and the PA itself say it would be more than an empty gesture.

Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian mission to the UK, said it could lead to partnerships between entities on an equal footing.

It might also force countries to review aspects of their relationships with Israel, said Vincent Fean, a former British diplomat in Jerusalem.

In Britain’s case, this might result in banning products that come from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, he said, even though the practical impact on the Israeli economy would be minimal.

US, Israel’s reaction

Israel, facing a global outcry over its conduct in the Gaza war, says recognition rewards Hamas for the attacks on Israel that precipitated the war in October 2023.

“A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River,” PM Netanyahu said.

The US opposes the recognition moves by its European allies. It has imposed sanctions on Palestinian officials, including blocking Abbas and other PA figures from attending the UN General Assembly by denying and revoking visas.

Sarah Ferguson’s hopes for a Hollywood comeback have reportedly collapsed after her apology email t o convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was leaked.

The Duchess of York had been developing a Victorian-era drama series based on her novels, aiming to pitch it as a “Bridgerton-style” hit.

However, industry insiders have said the project is now “dead and buried,” with no hopes for Fergie to build a Hollywood career.

According to The Mirror, a major Hollywood dealmaker revealed that the series is “dead and buried due to this Epstein revelation.”

“For Sarah to be linked to this scandal at this time for the US is just toxic news for the project. It will never see the light of day,” the source said.

Another insider, who is a multi-award-winning LA producer, shared, “Sarah Ferguson’s scandal means this show is cooked.”

“It ain’t going to be picked by anyone because this Epstein connection makes the brand totally toxic at this time in Hollywood,” they added.

“She was shopping her books around as a new version of ‘Bridgerton’, trading on her Royal credentials to appeal to American audiences. Initial reactions were lukewarm, but the second book gave a sense of real potential.

“Harry and Meghan showed Royal content draws viewers, but now, the word is ‘f*** no.’ Too controversial with Epstein tied in.

“With the US government probe still ongoing, this scandal is going to keep heating up. Fergie can’t sit on a US TV show without someone dragging up these emails. There’s no hiding from black-and-white evidence.”

• Trump credits TikTok for his re-election last year.
• Platform has 170m users in Untied States alone.
• Biden-era law requires transfer of TikTok’s assets.

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Thursday that declares a deal being negotiated by the White House to sell TikTok’s US operations will meet requirements set out in a 2024 law, a White House source with knowledge of the matter said.

Earlier this week, the White House said Trump will declare that a deal to divest TikTok’s US operations from its Chinese owner ByteDance will meet requirements set out in a law passed by Congress that bans the short video app unless its Chinese owner is ended.

Trump has credited TikTok, which has 170 million US users, with helping him win re-election last year and has 15 million followers on his personal account. The White House also launched an official TikTok account last month.

Trump has delayed enforcement of the law through mid-December amid efforts to extract TikTok’s US assets from the global platform, line up American investors and ensure that the new ownership qualifies as a full divestiture needed under the 2024 law — passed by the Biden administration requiring TikTok’s divestiture over fears that its US user data could be accessed by the Chinese government.

A further extension is expected in the executive order on Thursday (today).

Last week, the US president had said that business leaders Lachlan Murdoch, Larry Ellison and Michael Dell would be involved as US investors in a proposed deal to keep TikTok operating in the country.

Trump had earlier said the US and China have made progress on a deal requiring TikTok’s American assets to be transferred to US owners from China’s ByteDance.