Strict separation is not the answer

Recognising a Palestinian state is the only way to achieve a just peace in the Middle East.

Recognising a Palestinian state is the moral thing to do and the only way to achieve a just peace in the Middle East. To convince the next Israeli government that Palestinians must have full political rights, a fresh wave of countries extending formal recognition—-as Spain, Ireland, and Norway have just done—-is necessary. But, to prevent this wave from petering out in a puddle of performative symbolism, supporters must emphasise that the Palestinian state can be neither a mirror image of Israel nor a means of strictly separating Jews from Palestinians.