The gesture may have been more symbolic than decisive, but the move this week by a cluster of leading nations, including Britain, France, Canada, Australia and Belgium, to recognise Palestinian statehood was still significant.
As a backdrop to the United Nations general assembly, it was a reminder to Israel of western revulsion at its assault on Gaza, a warning against alleged moves to annex the West Bank, and an attempt to revive serious progress towards a two-state solution.
Whether it will constrain or antagonise Israel and its key backer the US remains to be seen, with fears that Donald Trump may retaliate by recognising Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
For our big story this week, Jason Burke and Sufian Taha find cautious optimism in the West Bank town of Ramallah, while Jason also reports on the glacial reaction from within Israel. Patrick Wintour and Archie Bland explain what recognition means in practical terms, and commentator Nesrine Malik argues the case that in relation to Gaza, the time for fine words is long past and the need for western action is upon us.
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Five essential reads in this week’s edition
Spotlight | Rightwing America and the free speech paradox
Conservatives had long complained of a censorious leftwing “cancel culture”, but in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s killing seem happy to now reframe that as “consequence culture”. J Oliver Conroy reports
Science | Why the dodo may not be dead after all
The flightless bird is a byword for extinction – but now a gene-editing business wants to bring it back to life. Is this a triumph of science, or a moral mis-step? Oliver Milman investigates
Feature | The world-leading AI scientist who left the US for China
In 2020, after spending half his life in the US, Song-Chun Zhu took a one-way ticket to China. Now he may hold the key to who wins the global AI race. Chang Che picks up the story
Opinion | Trump’s UK spectacle exposed a country living in the past
The grandeur and pageantry surrounding the state visit cannot disguise the fact that Britain has absolutely no vision for its future, argues Simon Jenkins
Culture | From cake talk to catwalk: why Marie Antoinette is back in fashion
As a blockbuster London exhibition opens about the last queen of France, Jess Cartner-Morley explains how she became the patron saint of our new gilded age
What else we’ve been reading
I loved Mark Lawson’s ramble through 70 years of ITV – the UK’s free-to-air commercial terrestrial channel. While sometimes criticised for its “broad” appeal, the network offered creative freedom and an alternative to the clipped RP accents of the BBC through dramas such as Coronation Street, Prime Suspect and Mr Bates vs the Post Office. As a child, though, I preferred the wrestling match up of Big Daddy v Giant Haystacks on World of Sport. Neil Willis, production editor
In the light of a recent report suggesting that Britain’s famously stodgy range of classic puddings is in terminal decline, Tim Dowling set out to recreate a selection of them so that you never have to again. Ardent fans of dishes such as jam roly-poly and flummery should look away now. Graham Snowdon, editor
Other highlights from the Guardian website
Audio | The downfall of Jair Bolsonaro
Video | How Bill Gates is playing both sides of the climate crisis
Gallery | Gulls, golds and Gout Gout: the World Athletics Championships 2025
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