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GAZA IS IN the grip of an incipient famine, amid a futile war that neither Hamas nor Israel appears ready to end. In an attempt to highlight the suffering of the Palestinians, stop the fighting and save the idea of two countries for two peoples, Britain and France have in recent days both taken decisive steps towards the recognition of a Palestinian state. The Economist wholeheartedly shares those aims, but we doubt that recognition will further them—indeed, we worry that recognition on the terms set out by Britain and France could get in the way.
France moved first on July 24th when its president, Emmanuel Macron, announced that he will recognise Palestine at the UN General Assembly in September. Five days later Britain’s prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, said that Britain would follow suit, but added that he would hold back if Israel stopped the war, clearly committed itself to a two-state solution and pledged not to annex Palestinian territory in Gaza or the West Bank. Those demands are unlikely to be met, meaning that Britain, too, is likely to go ahead.
It is easy to depict this as virtue-signalling by unpopular leaders keen to curry favour at home. Mr Macron has lost much of his domestic authority. Sir Keir is losing control over his own party, which is strongly pro-Palestinian, with grave implications for the rest of his term in office. Despite this, France’s president and...