Pro-Palestinians react to recognition of Palestinian statehood: ‘Not enough,’ ‘Britain Owes Palestine’

After major Western governments formally recognized a Palestinian state in recent days, pro-Palestinians reacted by making further demands, including calls for reparations.

Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Portugal all recognized a “State of Palestine” ahead of the UN General Assembly debatre last week. Hamas celebrated the move as “the fruits of October 7,” and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by vowing to expand Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria.

$2.7 trillion in reparations

Pro-Palestinians, however, reacted to the news by declaring Palestinian statehood “not enough,” and experts expect the Palestinian Authority to renew demands for reparations from the UK. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas demanded as recently as September 2023 that Britain pay for its “crimes” during the British Mandate between 1917 and 1948. According to the Daily Mail, international legal experts say Abbas could demand up to $2.7 trillion from the UK.

‘Britain Owes Palestine’

A group of Palestinian petitioners has also launched a campaign called “Britain Owes Palestine.” On September 10th, the group served the British government with a legal demand for reparations and for the government to “contribute to resolution by admitting its own wrongdoing” over a “century of oppression.”

Amnesty International, a devoted driver of the Palestinian narrative, reacted to the UK’s recognition of Palestinian statehood by dismissing it as a “hollow gesture” unless the British government also agrees to “halt UK arms exports, divest from arms companies that continue to sell arms to Israel, sanction Israeli officials implicated in crimes under international law and stop trade with settlements.”

‘Not enough’

On Sunday, a far-Left group calling itself the Jewish Council of Australia responded to the Australian government’s recognition of Palestinian statehood by saying it is “not enough” and demanding “real consequences for Israel’s crimes.”

“The Jewish Council of Australia calls on the Albanese Government to build on today’s announcement by immediately: 1. Imposing targeted sanctions on Israeli government officials responsible for war crimes. 2. Ending the two-way arms trade with Israel. 3. Holding Israel accountable for its blatant violations of international law,” the group said in a statement.

‍