Starmer, Albanese, Macron Shed crocodile tears and “recognise” Palestinian statehood . . . for “peace”
Picture credits from upper left clockwise: Sydney Harbour Bridge 3 August 2025; Paris 15 June 2025; London 29 October 2023; Berlin 10 September 2025 – as via the links to what is for now still a free press
Starmer, Albanese, Macron Shed crocodile tears to “recognise” Palestinian statehood for peace. . .
The “Oslo Accord” Mark 2025
Introduction
World-wide – we watched a genocide taking place on all possible forms of media in Gaza. Throughout this media deluge, the imperialist powers kept very quiet. Worse, they actively hampered and persecuted pro-Palestinian voices and protesters. A false cry against the condemnation of Israel’s genocide as being “anti-semitism” was raised. But the people’s voices worldwide – demanded primarily that their countries should stop arming the Israeli state, enabling it to wreak genocide.
Now, suddenly, in a little tidal wave, there has been a general recognition by imperialist countries that yes – there needed to be a recognition of a Palestinian state. Decades later than it should have been by any sense of justice.
What lies behind this? Why now? What does this mean for Palestinians? How does this factor into the global plans of USA imperialism?
It will be argued that there are three reasons for this sudden attack of Palestinian recognition.
First, it is driven by the international workers’ outcry against the indiscriminate genocide of Palestinians.
Second, it is because the Israeli genocide to date has achieved the main imperialist goals of he United States and Israel.
Finally, the Israeli hubris elevated itself to the point of attacking Qatari-based targets that threatened to disrupt war plans for the USA. Qatar is after all the site of a USA air base, which was thus ‘impolitic’. Not to say that its gift of a luxury liner to Trump – seemed poorly rewarded. . .
What lies behind this? Why now? What does this mean for Palestinians? How does this weigh in the global plans of USA imperialism?
It will be argued that there are three reasons for this sudden attack of Palestinian recognition.
First indeed it is driven by the international workers outcry against the indiscriminate genocide of Palestinians.
Secondly, it is because the Israeli genocide to date has achieved Israel’s and USA imperialisms main goals.
Finally the Israeli hubris elevating to the point of attacking Qatari based targets threatened to disrupt war plans for the USA.
1. What did the imperialist powers ignore?
The imperialist powers ignored all the numerous protests against Israeli genocide in every part of the world. The imperialist powers closed their eyes to the inhumanity. Instead they tried to break the protests by a continual outright intimidation and police violence. Whether in the USA, the UK, Germany especially perhaps – but all across Europe as well. In addition of course the imperialists steadily ignored several other important developments.
The imperialist powers ignored the 2024 decisions of the International Court of Justice:
“the International Court of Justice at the Hague made some momentous statements indicting Israel and its leaders of “genocide”. In January 2024:
“the International Court of Justice found plausible risk that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, and ordered provisional measures but stopped short of calling for an immediate ceasefire.”
Judge Joan Donoghue; As cited in MLRG.online October 2024
The imperialist nations ignored the warfare on civilian populations, and the deliberate starvation policy, as well as the destruction of medical facilities and personnel. The mounting death rates were documented by medical scientists although they were scurrilously denied by both Israel and some servile Israeli physicians:
“In January 2025, independent researchers from the London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. . . issued a novel methodology (capture-recapture) in assessing the death rate. They used this to align several differing sources of information. Their report estimated up to “64,260 violent deaths up to the end of June 2024”; (See Jamaluddine, Z., Abukmail, H., Aly, S., Campbell, O. M. R. & Checchi, F. Lancet 405, 469–477 (2025)
and
“The journal ‘Nature’ gives a summary of another independent study – the Gaza Mortality Survey – led by Michael Spagat. . . more than 80,000 fatalities up to January 5, 2025 . . . Spagat et al point out that:
“the violent death toll of the war resulted in the deaths of around 3.6% of Gaza’s population, exceeding the official figures of the Gaza Ministry of Health (MoH); around 56% of the violent deaths were among women, children, and the elderly – a percentage similar to that endorsed by the Gaza MoH.”
(Michael Spagat, et al; “Violent and Nonviolent Death Tolls for the Gaza War: New Primary Evidence”; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.06.19.25329797 – Preprint at medRxiv (2025) here.)
Both cited at “ What took the ‘New York Times’ so long to figure it out and why print it now?” 11 July, 2025; at MLRG.online
The imperialist nations also ignored the Israeli state policy of targeted assassination to murder the Palestinian press corps;
“The International Federation of Journalists said the mortality rate for media workers in Gaza is over 10 percent.”
Justin Salhani; “Israel is deliberately targeting journalists in Gaza: Experts“; 23 Sep 2024; Al Jazeera
and
“the total number of journalists killed in Gaza in almost two years of war to 197. The Committee to Protect Journalists, which collates that data, accuses Israel of “engaging in the deadliest and most deliberate effort to kill and silence journalists” that the U.S.-based nonprofit has ever seen.”
“Israel’s killing of journalists follows a pattern of silencing Palestinian media that stretches back to 1967”; The Conversation; August 25, 2025.
2. What is left behind in Gaza Palestine?
What is the toll in human deaths in Gaza due to the Israeli onslaught to date? Very likely the following is an under-estimate. We saw above the numbers of estimated deaths up to June 2025, on the basis of external scientific observers – “was more than 80,000 fatalities up to January 2025”.
Other estimates including those of the Gaza MoH tend to be lower. The Gaza MoH in especial is at pains to be seen to be unbiased in estimating the number of deaths. Consequently it usually ends up underestimating the number. Nevertheless, without going deeper than the bourgeois press, current estimates are:
“Israel’s onslaught has killed more than 66,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. The October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel killed 1,200 people, according to the government. Hamas also took 250 people hostage and still holds 48 captives, only 20 of whom are believed to be alive.”
Heba Saleh; “What remains of Gaza?” Financial Times (FT); London; Oct 3 2025
Of course the extraordinary destruction wreaked by Israel’s own manufactured weapons, but dwarfed by the amount of USA, UK, German, French weaponry – is far greater than that numerical underestimate of deaths.
The same article in the Financial Times somewhat soberingly, points out the following. We make points of their prose comments:
o “The latest UN assessment, based on satellite imagery published on August 6, shows that 78 per cent of buildings in the Gaza Strip have been damaged and more than half of them completely destroyed.
o Almost all cropland (98.5%) has undergone some level of destruction and will need rehabilitation to become productive again. Large tracts of farming land have also become inaccessible because they are located in no-go military zones controlled by Israel.
o A majority (90%) of schools have been either destroyed or severely damaged and not a single university has been left standing. Students have lost a second year of education and no one knows how or when learning could resume.
o More than 80 per cent of the territory of the Gaza Strip has been subsumed into Israeli military exclusion zones, or is covered by forced displacement orders. Of that area, half is estimated to have been completely destroyed, aid officials say.
o Much of the 2.1 million population have been crowded in tents in parts of central Gaza or in the southern Mawasi coastal strip where there are no public services such as running water or proper sanitation.
o In February, the World Bank estimated it would cost around $53bn in recovery and reconstruction for damage inflicted during the first year of war up to October 2024. It has yet to update its estimate, but since then hardly a corner of the strip has been spared the ferocious bombardment of Israel’s armed forces.”
Heba Saleh; “What remains of Gaza?” Financial Times London; Oct 3 2025
3. The moment signalling change – On September 16th 2025 the UN acknowledges genocide:
The role of the UN is somewhat curious.
On the one hand its independent rapporteur Francesca Albanese has been very forward, brave and probing. We pointed this out on 11th July 2025 ( MLRG.online July 2025). We cited there the Special Report she was primarily responsible for (UN Special Report July 2025).
Nonetheless, the UN has been rather less than visible (to be very mild about matters) in this whole period. A period of Israel’s conduct of a genocide, attacks on health care facilities and personnel, and the deliberate starvation of the Palestinian people. The UN’s completely toothless “pleas” directed at Israel for a ceasefire – were low-pitched, ineffectual and pathetic.
Finally something changed. By September 16, it was prepared to use the dreaded word “genocide”. It is more than likely that they were given the signal to announce that a “genocide” had indeed been taking place. No Marxist should have any illusions about the role of the UN – it is another means of exerting the control of the dominant imperialist nations over the world. Thus when given the indication to do so, the UN jumped to the word “genocide”:
“Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel said in a new report today. The Commission urges Israel and all States to fulfil their legal obligations under international law to end the genocide and punish those responsible for it.
The Commission has been investigating the events on and since 7 October 2023 for the last two years, and concluded that Israeli authorities and Israeli security forces committed four of the five genocidal acts defined by the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, namely killing, causing serious bodily or mental harm, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of the Palestinians in whole or in part, and imposing measures intended to prevent births. . .
“The Commission finds that Israel is responsible for the commission of genocide in Gaza,” said Navi Pillay, Chair of the Commission. “It is clear that there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.””
United Nations Press Release; September 16th, 2025.
Well, who would have given them the signal – other than the leaders of the UN – the USA, UK and the other Western imperialists?
4. Some important imperialist States follow the signal
Very shortly after this announcement, the UK Government, graciously announced its recognition of the Palestinian state – in order it said – to “protect the viability of a two-state solution” and facilitate a ceasefire:
“o Government acts to protect the prospect of a two-state solution as the appalling situation in Gaza worsens, Israel continues its illegal settlement expansions in the West Bank and Hamas continues to hold the hostages.
o Prime Minister makes clear that Hamas will have no role in the future of Palestine and reiterates his call for them to release the hostages immediately and unconditionally.
o historic step taken alongside close allies Canada and Australia, as part of a wider international effort to support a pathway to peace and protect the equal rights of both Israeli and Palestinian peoples.
The UK has formally recognised Palestine to protect the viability of a two-state solution and create a path towards lasting peace for the Israeli and Palestinian people.
The historic decision, announced alongside Canada and Australia, comes as the situation on the ground in Gaza continues to worsen, Israel continues to expand its illegal settlements in the West Bank, and Hamas continues to hold the hostages.
In July, the Prime Minister pledged to act if the situation did not change and firmly believes that the UK has a moral responsibility to do everything it can to support a peaceful future for Israel and Palestine – the prospect of which is slipping further away.
A two-state solution, with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state led by a reformed Palestinian Authority, is the only path to a lasting peace for the Israeli and Palestinian people – free from the horrendous violence and suffering of the last two years.”
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and The Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP; Gov.UK Press release; UK formally recognises Palestinian State
21 September 2025; at UK Government website
Note the words “alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state led by a reformed Palestinian Authority”. We will return to those words shortly.
We see that in this statement the UK demonstrates it acts together with Canada, and Australia. In actual fact the numbers of countries that recognise Palestine is much greater of course. As this graphic from the BBC shows:
From Paul Adams; “What does recognising a Palestinian state mean?”; BBC 22 September 2025
Not shown in the graphic clearly is that in Europe – notably Germany and Italy have refused to recognise the state of Palestine. Nor of course has the USA recognised any state of Palestine – but we will return to this momentarily.For now – what is different about the two important European states on this question?
As far as Germany goes this is consistent with its particularly violent police suppression of demonstrations, which have been filmed and are a matter of record. To revert to Germany – Chancellor Merz takes his position against the views of his population:
“France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Malta and Andorra declared that they were recognizing the state of Palestine at the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday. The day before, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Portugal recognized Palestine. These historic decisions bring to 156 the number of countries that currently recognize the Palestinian state.
The United States, on the other hand, strictly rejects recognition, as does Israel. Its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has described such a step as “a reward for terror” for the radical Islamist group Hamas— which is categorized as a terrorist organization by Israel, the US, the EU and others — that led the terror attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 which sparked the war in Gaza.
The German government won’t be taking this step “in the short term,” as it officially put it. “We won’t be joining this initiative,” said Chancellor Friedrich Merz from the governing conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in August when Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney visited.
However, Merz’s reasoning was rather formal in nature. “We do not consider the conditions for state recognition to be fulfilled in any way at present. Recognition must be the final step in a peace process that results in a two-state solution,” he said.
The difficulty is that a two-state solution is nowhere in sight. . . the chancellor appears to be standing firm, even though he clearly has a majority of the German population against him. In a survey conducted by the German Institute for Public Opinion Research (Forsa) at the beginning of August, 54% of respondents were in favor, while 31% were against.”
Christoph Hasselbach; “Germany walks tightrope over recognizing state of Palestine”; September 23, 2025; Deutsche Welle; at DW Sep 23, 2025
The demonstration last weekend of September, of over 100,00 in Berlin “Eyes on Gaza” led by Michael Barenboim the famous musician, shows the mood of the people.
As far as Italy is concerned, the situation is slightly different. While Merz is undeniably paving the way for the AfD, Giorgia Meloni is further to the right than the needs of the German capitalist class.
Her government was faced with the second general Strike to support Palestine in two weeks – and massive demonstrations across Italy to support Palestine (See shot from Financial Times above). Meloni remains for now dismissive:
“Italy has been severely disrupted by a nationwide general strike called in solidarity with the Palestinian people, dialling up the pressure on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s response to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. The strike — called by Italy’s influential trade unions and declared illegal by authorities — affected public transport, schools, railways and ports, as protesters demanded an end to Israel’s Gaza offensive. Tens of thousands of people marched through Rome and other cities, while small groups of protesters skirmished with police in several places. In Turin, protesters rushed on to an airport runway — briefly forcing its closure — and ransacked a conference venue.
“Revolutions and long weekends don’t go together,” Meloni told reporters before the strike began. “I still believe that all this brings no benefit to the Palestinian people. On the other hand “I understand that it will cause a lot of hardship to the Italian people.”
Amy Kazmin, “Italy paralysed as Gaza protests mount pressure on Meloni”; Financial Times (UK) 4 October, 2025
But “Youtrend” has found:
“about 63 per cent of Italians believe Israel is carrying out a genocide in Gaza, and that innocent civilians are the main casualties of Israel’s offensive against Hamas.”
5. A supine Starmer shamed at the 2025 Labour Conference
Although a slight digression, we cannot leave the discussion of the UK Labour Party leadership’s evident hypocrisy. The Prime Minister and his equally blind cabinet have refused to cede the word “genocide”; have refused to stop weapon transfers to Israel and arrests anyone daring to act with “Palestinian Action. Yet the rank and file of the Labour Party cannot remain silent, and have shamed Sterner very recently. The Labour Conference “recognised Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian population in Gaza“.
“Historic recognition of Israel’s genocide – but Starmer silent
On 29 September, a motion passed at the Labour Conference which means the party has now recognised Israel’s genocide of the Palestinian population in Gaza. While the UN had already acknowledged the same thing, the UK government published a report denying that the genocide is happening. This latest development will put additional pressure on prime minister Keir Starmer to recognise the genocide. For the moment, however, the Labour leader is quiet on the matter.
The passed motion places a demand on Labour to “ensure individuals and corporations in the UK are not involved in aiding and assisting the genocide”. Additionally, there is the expectation that the government should “apply sanctions to put pressure on the Israeli government to respect international law”.
29 September, 2025; at Canary UK
“Members of the United Kingdom’s Labour Party have voted to recognise that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, in a move that increases pressure on the UK government to adopt the same position.
Delegates at Labour’s party conference approved an emergency motion backing the findings of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry, which earlier this month concluded that Israel “has committed genocide”. The vote was strongly supported by trade unions.
The decision contrasts with Labour leader and Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as well as senior ministers, who have argued that the question of genocide should be determined by international courts rather than politicians.
Israel is facing a case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague in which it is accused of committing genocide.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy reaffirmed that stance following the conference vote.
“That means that it must be for the ICJ with their judges and judiciary, and for the ICC, to determine the issue of genocide in relation to the convention. It is not for politicians like me to do that,” he said, adding that he believed in “the rules-based order”.
“But it is for the public to look at what they see, and come to their own judgement about what they see,” he said.”
Caolán Magee; “UK Labour Party members vote to recognise Gaza genocide at conference”: 29 September 2025; Al Jazeera: at Magee September 2025 Al Jazeera
It is very likely that Starmer’s government will be replaced by the more obviously ultra-right wing of the political representatives of Capital. Namely – Nigel Farage. We shall look at this separately. In the meantime the Starmer government does its best to stay in both games- the American game and the European game. But when push comes to shove, Starmer will yet again pick up Trump’s coat-tails.
So the question remains – why has the UN finally recognised “genocide”; and why have all these imperialist governments recognised a “State” of Palestine?
6. Why have the leaders of these imperialist nations finally paid attention to state recognition of Palestine?
The world’s working classes, made their voices heard. There is no doubt that a mounting, mass mobilization of the world’s people in the defence of Palestine, made a difference. But regrettably – we cannot think this was the main reason. Nor should we count this recognition as any more than a minor “victory”. Why?
Because a far greater factor lies in the USA “allowing” the UN to make its stand. And despite all the rhetoric of Trump against the UK, Canada and Australia – it “allowed” the recognition. After all – the USA and its more than willing tool Israel – have achieved their goals. What were these?
i) To ensure a compliant Middle East to enable the next stage of the global war that will be led on one side by the USA; See also “From Secretary States Rogers to Rice: U.S. and Israel redraw maps”; MLRG.online June 26, 2025
ii) To ensure the Palestinian people had no viable statehood in the Middle East by which to weaken Israeli power. This was why the Hamas terror attack was ultimately what the Israelis had been waiting for. They had not expected that the people trapped in the Gazan desert would forever remain silent. It is simply not human not to breed resentment and attempt to fight-back in the conditions that Gaza had become. (See also “From October 7, 2023 to October, 2024 – and the Aftermath”; MLRG.online 12 October 2024 )
iii) To finally re-draw the map of the Middle East to ensure that only vassal states to the USA hold the reins of power. To this end the ‘rogue’ actions of Israel in bombing Qatari locations of its opponent had created potential for a marked division with Arabic Gulf states. Hence the USA has stepped in to “insist” that Israel and the Palestinians formally accept a cease-fire; return the hostages held by Hamas who are alive or their corpses; that Hamas completely disarm; that a compliant Palestinian stooge “rules’ Gaza.
iv) We now see the return of the old “Oslo” con-job, but at an even greater level of humiliation for the Palestinians. And at an even weaker position. As we said previously of the Oslo Plan:
““#38. The Oslo Plan
. . . imperialism had also forced the Oslo Plan onto the remnants of an evolving Palestinian nation. This was in two instalments, Oslo I being in 1993 and Oslo II in 1995. They were aided by a now subservient and effective PLO, which we amongst others, characterised as follows:
“The 1993 signing of the Oslo Declaration “on the White House lawn” marked a precipitous descent into opportunist agreements with both the imperialist power of the USA and with the Israeli state.”
“On Palestine, the Palestine Liberation Movement, and USA Imperialism: A Marxist-Leninist View” Point no.38; November 6, 2023; MLRG.online.
And with a compliant “Palestinian Authority” – the compradors that had enabled even the shadow of a West Bank Palestinian entity to be completely under the Israeli control. As we had previously written on (See “On Palestine, the Palestine Liberation Movement, and USA Imperialism: A Marxist-Leninist View” Point no.38; November 6, 2023; MLRG.online – Ibid.)
v) It is necessary also to state that the Israeli state leaders – and perhaps an overwhelming number of the population of Israel – also got what it wanted in another way. That is the near wipe out of the Palestinian people in Palestine itself. Of course, the Palestinian people will rise again. But it will be long in the distance.
Moreover the goal of Marxist-Leninists in the region of a united proletariat of Palestine and Israel – for a socialist state in the Middle East – is also more distant. The futility of individual terrorism has once more been exposed as a completely blind alley.
The goals of the impressive worldwide pro-Palestinian movement – must be redirected to assist the rebuilding of a non-sectarian socialist Middle East. What road that will take is uncertain as of now.
October 4, 2025.
