Milan, 12 August (LaPresse) – ‘Unconditional recognition of Palestine will not produce a Palestinian state or end the suffering in Gaza. Not requiring the Palestinians to commit to ensuring Israel's security in exchange for recognition would strengthen supporters of terrorism on the Palestinian side and deniers of the Palestinian state on the Israeli side.’ So said former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in an editorial published by the Wall Street Journal, in which he argues that the growing number of Western countries announcing their intention to recognise the Palestinian state in September are motivated by good intentions but are going about it in the wrong way. ‘With the crisis in Gaza still ongoing, this focus on recognition seems totally divorced from the most pressing realities,’ writes Blinken, who argues that the immediate “priorities” are ‘the suffering of Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages,’ Israel's ‘announced plan to occupy all or part of the enclave,’ “averting famine”, “recovering the hostages and ending the conflict in Gaza”. “The two-state discussion can wait,” he concludes.