Written by Sharanya Manivannan for The New Indian Express

Nationhood, borders, territories: each of these is human-made, and human-maintained. There are arguments that the nation-state is an inherently violent concept; there are also further arguments that posit that nation-states should not exist at all. But they do, and they have certainly structured our understanding of the world for a significantly long duration, more so in the last century than ever. This is the time and place in history in which, not for the first time, the question of Palestinian statehood has arisen — in this iteration, in relation to two years of sustained genocidal attacks on the region by the Israeli state.

The occupation of Palestinian land and all ensuing violence towards and displacement of Palestinian people began decades prior, in 1948, but their intensification since October 2023 has been a litmus test of our compassion in relation to our political compasses. More and more people who tried to hold “neutral” positions have begun to protest against Israeli brutality (“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.” – Desmond Tutu). But Palestine is in the final stages of genocide, as defined by bodies including Amnesty International and the United Nations. At this point, another quote also comes to mind: “One day, when it’s safe, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.” — Omar El Akkad.

We aren’t quite at that day when no one can be held accountable, and the vast majority of the world’s nations have finally begun to not only name the oppressor, but also to push for the formalising of Palestine as its own nation-state. As it already should have been, for this is not a new entreaty. As it already was, in spirit as well as in letter, for millennia, before its colonisation. Ahead of a UN summit on Palestine, member nations, including India, voted overwhelmingly in favour of a two-state solution. They have, formally, joined a decades-old refrain: “Palestine will be free”.

Now, powerful Global North nations including Canada, the UK, France, Australia and Portugal have newly recognised Palestine as a nation-state (the first to do so post-1948 were dozens of Global South nations including Libya, Malaysia, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, all in 1988 when the Palestine Liberation Organisation declared sovereignty).

What this will mean in terms of how Palestine’s citizens and residents are treated, what kind of support will be afforded towards rebuilding its infrastructure and providing rehabilitation and reparations to survivors in a post-genocide milieu, all remain to be seen. Crucially, what this will mean in terms of sanctions on Israel, prevention of further killings or damage and trials for war crimes also remain to be seen. These recognitions, and a vote toward a two-state solution, cannot stop at being merely symbolic gestures. Palestine must be free, and heal.

We as ordinary citizens have always had, and still have, the power of our boycotts, the power of our own votes and the power to use our many privileges towards making a better world. These are what have swayed so many governments in favour of Palestine, at least now, though tragically not sooner.