Palestine has been quietly, and sometimes with fanfare, gaining entry into a host of international institutions despite intense efforts by the Israeli government to thwart them. But the admission into Interpol as a member this week is one of the most remarkable achievements of Palestine. It’s importance can be gauged from two factors: first, the extent to which Israel had gone to block the membership, and secondly, the huge symbolic and political values of this membership due to its importance.
The Palestinian membership was approved by 75 to 24 votes, with 34 abstentions, in a secret vote of representatives of the international police organisation’s members in China. The votes received exceeded the two-thirds requirement of yes to no votes. “The State of Palestine and the Solomon Islands are now Interpol member countries,” the organisation tweeted after the vote. The Palestinian Foreign Minister, Riyad Al Maliki, said: “This victory was made possible because of the principled position of the majority of Interpol members.”
There is no doubt that Palestine’s entry into Interpol will advance its goal of achieving statehood. The Interpol membership is a huge setback to Israel and is particularly sensitive because this global body helps countries share police intelligence and cooperate against crime that crosses international borders. Israel blocked the Palestinian attempt to join Interpol at last year’s annual general meeting in Indonesia, which Netanyahu had hailed as a major victory.
Even as the right-wing government of Benjamin Netanyahu pursues a no-state solution, international recognition of Palestine is growing, which could be partly attributed to the global discontent and anger at the Israeli suppression of Palestinian rights, the confiscation of their land and the Israeli ‘killing’ of the peace process.
Palestine must continue its efforts to gain membership of more global and United Nations institutions. It gained observer status at the United Nations in 2012 and since then has joined more than 50 international organisations and agreements, including the international criminal court (ICC) and the prestigious Unesco. Netanyahu must realise that a new Palestinian state is gaining momentum worldwide, an unstoppable momentum. The world has already recognized it as a state, which is evident from all this acceptance, and a day will come when Israel will be forced to confront this truth with all its consequences.
This means the Palestinian struggle for independence must be carried out vigorously both at home and abroad. In the absence of a peace process, Palestine must make use of its membership of these global organisations to push its case and to corner Israel. The Interpol case has proven beyond any doubt that it can easily win the diplomatic battle against Israel.
