Former U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the decision by France, Britain, Canada, and Australia to recognize the State of Palestine in September as a “morally correct step” that reflects a broad international consensus, noting that more than 140 countries already acknowledge the Palestinian right to self-determination alongside a secure Israel.
In an opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal, Blinken said this recognition comes as the Gaza crisis continues, with Palestinian civilians suffering, Israeli prisoners still held, and Israel announcing plans to occupy parts of the Strip.
He stressed that urgent priorities should be preventing famine, freeing prisoners, and ending the war, while deeper discussions on a two-state solution could follow.
Blinken argued that recognition of Palestine, if done at the right time and in the right way, could help enable Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and accelerate normalization with Arab states.
He noted that Israel has already met two of its three declared objectives in Gaza — destroying Hamas as a military force and killing those behind the October 7, 2023, attack — while the third, freeing prisoners, remains difficult without a political track.
He warned that Israel lacks a clear withdrawal plan and that permanent occupation would deepen Palestinian suffering, fuel resistance, and drain Israel militarily and morally.
Blinken called for recognition to be conditional and tied to a clear timeline — proposing three years —f or Palestinians to meet security and governance criteria.
These include eliminating terrorist group control, dismantling independent armed militias, avoiding alliances with groups rejecting Israel’s existence, reforming curricula and public rhetoric to reject incitement, and building viable state institutions.
He said the U.N. Security Council should verify compliance, with a possible U.S. veto to reassure Israel, while negotiations on borders, security, Jerusalem, and refugees proceed in parallel.
Blinken also urged Israel to develop a withdrawal plan from Gaza, halt settlement expansion, stop demolishing Palestinian homes, hold violent settlers accountable, respect the status quo at holy sites, and strengthen—rather than undermine—the Palestinian Authority.
He concluded that Hamas has long tried to sabotage the two-state solution, culminating in the October 7 attack, which partly aimed to derail U.S.-led normalization efforts between Israel and Arab states.
Blinken said a conditional, time-bound recognition process would be the best way to counter Hamas’s objectives and set Israelis and Palestinians on a path toward lasting peace and security.
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