At the very outset, let us agree unambiguously that Israel’s indiscriminate bombing of Gaza is no longer justifiable. What began as a legitimate pursuit of justice for the October 7 attack is increasingly looking like a disproportionate use of force. A leaked Israeli military report, cited by media organisations in September, claimed that 83% of Gaza’s war dead are civilians.

With collateral suffering multiplying at such a scale, the Gaza war needs to end immediately. Hamas must hand over the remaining hostages—dead or alive—and Israel’s forces must pull back.

But instead of the world working towards this basic objective, a new complication has been injected into the debate: recognition of Palestinian statehood. Activists and pressure groups are lobbying hard for countries to recognise Palestine as a stand-alone state. The UK, France, Canada, and some other Western democracies have now recognised the State of Palestine.

Yet key questions remain unanswered. Will recognition guarantee peace? Will it compel Hamas to return the........

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