Palestinian state recognition fuels Israeli campaign, US diplomatic push

Report by Amal Shehadeh, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

The United States is continuing to coordinate efforts to confront one of the biggest challenges since the start of the Gaza war: recognition of a Palestinian state, which is expected to reach its peak on September 22 with the opening of the United Nations General Assembly session.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who begins talks Sunday in Tel Aviv with Israeli officials on this issue, will also revisit Washington’s proposed settlement framework regarding Lebanon and Syria, and the “day after” the war—two measures meant to ease the impact of broad Arab and international recognition of a Palestinian state.

Meanwhile, Israel is stepping up its international campaign against Palestinian statehood while trying to contain the fallout from its failure in the Doha operation, which has exposed it to new challenges.

Before his plane landed in Tel Aviv, Israel promoted Rubio’s participation in a special program at the City of David site in Jerusalem, framed as recognition of settlement projects. 

These projects are considered by Israel to be a cornerstone of its claim to Jerusalem as a united capital. Settlement expansion is part of Israel’s strategy to impose sovereignty over parts of the West Bank, in defiance of a Palestinian state. 

Israeli officials have escalated both rhetoric and settlement plans in response to this recognition drive.

At the same time, the Israeli army continued deploying columns of armored vehicles and military units across the south, the Gaza border, and the Strip itself in preparation for what it calls a new and decisive stage of the Gaza invasion.

Through his visit, Rubio is seeking to secure progress in at least one of the files on the table—either advancing a security arrangement regarding Syria and Lebanon or, more importantly, focusing on the “day after” the Gaza war plan, which is considered essential for mitigating the fallout from recognition of a Palestinian state.