‘Egregious act of hypocrisy’: Netizens react to Palestinian state recognition amid Gaza genocide

Following the recognition of the state of Palestine by the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada, Netizens have flocked to X (formerly Twitter) to condemn the highly symbolic move, labeling it as an “act of hypocrisy” amid the Israeli regime's ongoing genocide in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Louis Allday, a writer, and historian, strongly criticized the move as “a depraved and cynical tactic” aimed at maintaining and possibly strengthening the existing state of affairs, while generating positive PR coverage.

“Recognizing Palestine at the same time as participating in a genocide against its people & demanding who can/can't be part of its governance is worse than symbolic, it's a depraved, cynical tactic to maintain and even reinforce the status quo while making pr PR-friendly headlines,” he said.

Farah-Silvana Kanaan, a writer, editor, and dramaturg, also noted that recognizing the state of Palestine while providing funding to the entity that seeks to eradicate it is not only highly hypocritical but also demonstrates a clear dedication to that objective. 

“Recognizing the state of Palestine while continuing to fund the entity that insists on completely wiping it off the map is not just the most egregious act of hypocrisy; it indicates a clear commitment to that same goal. It’s easy to support something you’re actively destroying,” she wrote.

Ramy Abdul, founder and chairman of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor, stated that these countries have “recognized the state of Palestine while remaining silent over the genocide of an entire people, and the destruction of entire cities.”

He also pointed out that these countries have not addressed the issue of Israel holding 15,000 Palestinian hostages.

Political analyst Angelo Giuliano described the move as a “clown show” amid simultaneous support for the destruction and genocide of Palestine.

He also stressed that Palestine will never become a viable state due to the opposition of the United States, Israel, and the collective West, adding that many countries may use this recognition to conceal their collaboration in the destruction of Palestine.

“Stop applauding this nonsense. What a clown show—they recognize Palestine while simultaneously supporting the destruction and genocide of what little remains of it. It's over, sorry to say. Palestine will never be a viable state. The US and Israel will never allow it, and most of the collective West will continue to issue condemnations while still providing their full support to Israel,” Giuliano said.

“So, NO, I will not cheer for the symbols and empty words of "recognizing a State of Palestine." "Many countries will use this to whitewash their collaboration in the genocide and the utter destruction of what is left of Palestine,” he added.

Another user, named Hadi, said the UK has officially recognized Palestine as a state while simultaneously it has been arresting citizens who are protesting the genocide against Palestinians, emphasizing that it is “Time to recognize the genocide.”

Another user named Khaled also noted that the decision to recognize Palestine came after it had been thoroughly devastated.

“It took two years of genocide, slaughter of Palestinians, destruction of hospitals, homes, schools, and starvation used as a weapon, for countries to finally recognize a Palestinian state. They decided to recognize Palestine after it was totally destroyed,” he said.

Ibrahim Majed cautioned that the recognition of Palestine by countries like Britain, Canada, Australia, and potentially the United States should be approached with careful consideration. 

He also stated that the recognition of Palestine by these countries is not driven by “a genuine commitment” to justice, but rather it might be to appease their own publics, to absolve themselves of responsibility for future massacres by claiming they have done their part by recognizing Palestine, and to give Israel more freedom to commit greater atrocities under the guise of recognizing a Palestinian state. 

In practice, these governments may claim to have fulfilled their duty by recognizing Palestine, while in reality, they have not taken effective measures to stop Israel’s massacres, not only in Gaza and Palestine, but also across the wider region, Majed added.

He further suggested that ending Western military and financial support to Israel could have been more effective in restraining Israel and putting limits on its actions instead of symbolic gestures, emphasizing that these symbolic and hypocritical stances do not contribute to advancing justice or deterring aggression.

Leyla Hamed also noted that “In the past, I celebrated announcements of ‘recognition’ of the Palestinian state. Today, I have to apologize for that. Palestine’s existence does not depend on Western approval or validation, it has always existed, with its people, its land, and its suffering.”

On Sunday, Britain, Canada, and Australia formally recognized the state of Palestine, despite opposition from the United States, amid growing public pressure to end their complicity in the Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Several European countries are set to follow suit this week.

The move comes 108 years after the Balfour Declaration backed “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people,” paving the way for the illegal establishment of Israel in 1948. 

The move puts the most powerful Western nations at odds with Israel and the United States, with the head of the Israeli regime, Benjamin Netanyahu, reacting angrily and vowing to oppose it at the UN talks.

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