FEBRUARY 6 — Despite his administration appearing to backtrack from his shock plan to take over Gaza, with the United Nations warning against “ethnic cleansing” in the Palestinian territory, US President Donald Trump insisted that “everybody loves” the plan.
Now, let this be said loud, clear and in bold: Palestine is a State.
I have said this in “From the river to the sea, Palestine is a State and will be free”.
A panel of experts on international law in its report dated May 20, 2024, has also stated that Palestine is a State in accordance with criteria set out in international law. Read the report here, para 13(a) at page 4.
People walk amid collapsed buildings along Saftawi street in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on February 5, 2025 during a ceasefire deal in the war between Israel and Hamas. — AFP pic
Twenty years before in 2024, the International Court of Justice rendered its opinion that the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination was a well-established fact. The Court said:
“As regards the principle of the right of peoples to self-determination, the Court observes that the existence of a “Palestinian people” is no longer in issue.” Read the advisory opinion dated July 9, 2004 here, para 118 at page 38.
Palestine is a State. A Palestinian people exist. They belong in Palestine and not elsewhere.
*This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
