Comment by dis-sys | Hacker News Reader

Comment by dis-sys | Hacker News Reader

Parent Full thread

> Just because a bunch of countries believe (or don’t believe) something doesn’t make it a fact.

The statehood is all about recognization. Please check your favorite dictionary, e.g. mine says

state·hood /ˈstātˌho͝od/ the status of being a recognized independent nation.

When talking about such recognization, there are around 8 billion people living on earth today, out of that 8 billion real people, only about 1.5 billion (18%) living in countries that do not recognize the State of Palestine as a full sovereign state. a quick break down -

750 million living in Europe, almost the entire Europe refuses to recognize the State of Palestine. 450 million in North America 130 million in Japan 30 million in Australia & New Zealand 70 million in Thailand

When the vast majority of the human race recognize it as a state, when the statehood is all about recognization. It is a fact.

By that argument, the State of Israel is not a state? Since those same countries (Iran, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc) do not in fact recognize Israel’s existence.

The recognition you point to from other countries, is, at its heart, political. Those other countries are Muslim majority and vehemently anti-Israel. Ignoring that political and religious bias is intellectually dishonest.

But, if you still maintain Palestine is indeed a state, please answer the following:

- when was its independence? - who is the leader? - what is its currency? - who are its main trade partners?

> the State of Israel is not a state?

Israel is of course a state, it is a state established in 1948 and its border should thus remain in the shape and form of 1948.

> when was its independence?

15 November 1988 for declaring independence. 29 November 2012 for becoming an observer state of the United Nation General Assembly.

It becomes a fully recognized state when the UNGA observer state status was obtained after a formal vote by countries around the world. You are free to consider it as the consensus of the human race.

I haven't made the count, but the number of people living in countries that recognize Taiwan is tiny and likely smaller than one percent of the total population. Therefore, by the definition as supplied, Taiwan cannot possibly be a state. Yet it is fairly clear that it is in many ways more state-like than Palestine, and it has a firmer grasp than Palestine does on its self-defined territory (at least for the time being).

Ultimately, states don't have unanimous definitions and just relying on a dictionary definition is not sufficient.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com