Opinion: At UN, western powers push phantom 'Palestine' recognition to safeguard Israel

The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly voted in support of a resolution to revive a two-state solution. This "New York Declaration" paves the way for an upcoming summit to push for greater recognition of a Palestinian state, a scheme led by France and Saudi Arabia. This diplomatic effort is occurring as Israel's war on Gaza approaches its two-year mark, having killed at least 64,000 Palestinians and created a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. The opinion piece argues that this push for a "phantom" state is a Western tactic to safeguard Israel while it expands its military actions across the region, including recent strikes in Qatar.