In an ambiguous state. The role of ambivalence and mimicry in the recognition of a Palestinian State. - Ms. C. E. Potts Introduction
Since the decolonisation period beginning in the 1920’s, the international system has witnessed a proliferation and a subsequent normalisation of peoples demanding the right to choose their own political status; their right to self-determination. This right of selfdetermination has become such a powerful principle that it has been enshrined in Article 1 of the Charter of the United Nations (UN). Yet whilst a cornerstone ethos, the reality of self-determination has been experienced variably and unequally by different entities over time (UNPO, 2017). The study of such entities which seek this right to self-determination, but face difficulties in its realisation, is a nascent, growing body of scholarly work. Much of this literature employs these contested, anomalous geopolitical entities as a lens to further explore, critique and subvert traditional geopolitical discourses, such as sovereignty, statehood, recognition and legitimacy (Jeffrey et al., 2015). In particular, this essay addresses a lacuna in research surrounding non-state diplomacy outlined by McConnell et al. (2012). In their paper, McConnell et al. (2012) investigate the diplomatic practices of unofficial diplomacies to secure legitimacy, using Bhabha’s (1984) concept of colonial mimicry as a theoretical tool. Their focus on diplomacy enables them to examine and challenge discourses of recognition, legitimacy and sovereignty. They find that diplomatic mimicry emulates and reproduces, yet simultaneously threatens the “gold standard” (p.805) of traditional state diplomacy, by blurring and unsettling the distinction between the ‘real’ and the ‘mimic’. This essay seeks to utilise this poststructural and performative framework of investigation to explore the mimicry of the State of Palestine. It empirically examines the mimetic, hybrid practices and structures of Palestine which have evolved over time as a strategy to gain international recognition and self-determination, and exposes its ambivalent position within the international system. Through this process, this essay provides a postcolonial critique of the western-centric concept of statehood, transgressing and overcoming its binary characterisation. As a product of past and present colonialism (Thompson, 2003), Palestine’s evolution from Ottoman Empire to statu nascendi (a forming state) provides a powerful lens for reconceptualising such norms and discourses.
Empire to statu nascendi
The territorial space of Israel and the Occupied Territories (OT’s) was once a part of the Ottoman Empire before its collapse during WW1. After the war, the resulting territories were split up between the Allied powers under the framework of the League of Nations, founded in 1920 (Thompson, 2003). The League created the mandate system in which an Allied power would have sovereignty over an occupied territory until it was deemed capable of governing itself. In 1923, Palestine was placed under British Mandate and was given the highest classification: it was almost ready for independence (Maguire and Thompson, 2017). This period also coincided with a surge of Zionist interest in Palestine, who sought to create their Jewish State within this territory, as a neo-European state
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