Now that Canada has indicated its intension to recognise the state of Palestine, adding its voice to those of Britain and France, plus 147 of the 193 UN member states have already made recognitions a fact, the notable exceptions being US and of course Israel, like Hamas, they seem hell bent on a one state solution, for the Israelis it doesn't include the Palestinians, for Hamas it doesn't include the Jews, for Donald Trump it includes gold courses, tennis courts and rich American tourists, the Riviera of the East, I assume without Palestinians or Jews, or some such nonsense. Should Australia follow suit with recognition, as Jim Chalmers says; "It's a question of when, not if" for Australia. The perfect opportunity for recognition will come during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Yes.

Of course it should. And the Nazi Zionists must never be forgotten.

I support a two-state solution, but that can only happen when Israel is willing to recognise Palestine, and Palestine is willing to recognise Israel. In the past, a solution has come tantalisingly close only to fail because the Palestinians refused to recognise Israel’s right to exist. The current Israeli government does not support a two-state solution either. So even if “recognising” Palestine could in theory result in there being two states; it would emphatically not be a “solution”. More likely it would bake in conflict for yet more generations.

Wishful thinking or “recognition” will not make Palestine a state. The Montevideo Convention gives four criteria for recognition of a state under international law – a permanent population, a defined territory, a functional government and capacity to enter relations with other governments. Palestine fails at least three of these criteria. Its borders are disputed; much of its population claims to be refugees with a “right of return” to Israel; it has two governments, neither of which is fit to rule a properly functioning state; and the government in Gaza is widely considered a terrorist organisation which most governments refuse to have relations with.

Nor will recognition by other states magically transform Palestine into a state. The Convention says, “the political existence of the state is independent of recognition by any other state”.

I am actually quite hopeful that a two-state solution can emerge from this horrible crisis. Netanyahu is unpopular and looks likely to lose office at the next election. Hamas is greatly diminished, and the Arab League has called on it to disarm and relinquish power. The people of Gaza must surely realize that they have no hope of destroying Israel and will suffer terribly if they continue to try. The international community is mostly sickened by what’s happening and will work towards a lasting peace.

But premature recognition will vindicate and empower Hamas and make a long-term political solution less, not more, likely.

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On November 29, 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 181, which called for the partition of Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, with Jerusalem as a "corpus separatum" governed by a special international regime.

The Jewish state was to encompass approximately 56% of the territory, while the Arab state was to cover about 43%. The remaining area, including Jerusalem, would be an international zone.

That was the original arrangement : two separate states. That is what 147 countries around the world (76% of the total) have officially recognised - including three European countries (Ireland, Norway and Spain).

Not surprisingly, Israel accepted that as it got the better of the deal, whereas the Palestinians rejected it. They got the short end of the stick. That has been the problem all along. It's time it was fixed !

Time to stop all the wars with all the killing and destruction. If it can't be two states, they will have to share the same state - but whatever the solution, this time, it will have to be equitable if it is to have any chance of succeeding !

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Thanks for the contributions, absolutely agree with what's been said. Rhian I don't believe Hamas will be a part of any future Palestinian state, it may continue to exists as a separate terrorist organisation backed by Iran, there's plenty of them in the Middle East, but it wont play any part in the governance of a Palestinian state.

An Australian journalist aboard a Jordanian relief flight described the devastation below in Gaza as absolutely horrific, complete destruction everywhere. The Zionist Nazi's forbid any filming of the devastation, and for good reason, they want to hide their war crimes from the world.