The incoherence of Labour’s Palestine stance

The Labour manifesto commits the party to recognising a Palestinian state. It frames this as ‘a contribution to a renewed peace process’. This rationale is as dishonest as the commitment is foolhardy. It is a reminder that progressives will not learn from history if the lesson offends their political sensibilities. 

The manifesto claims that statehood is ‘the inalienable right of the Palestinian people’. Is this true? An international law scholar would tell you that oppressed peoples or those living under military occupation have a right to self-determination. But does self-determination necessarily equal statehood? Could it be achieved by a different model, such as political autonomy in confederation with an Arab state? And if statehood is an inalienable right, what do we do about peoples who repeatedly refuse to exercise that right? The leadership of the Palestinian Arabs has consistently rejected proposals that would see a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel.