On 1 May, Internet giant Google changed the home page name of its google.ps domain from Palestinian Territories to Palestine. To the people of this region, their international allies and enemies, this is symbolically a big deal in the 64-year-old Arab-Israeli conflict since the creation of Israel on Palestine in 1948. For the first time in more than six decades, it's not the usual suspects — zealous Palestinians and Arabs — who're using the P-word, but rather the biggest thing on the Internet since the Internet began. Not only does Google serve one billion requests on its search engine daily, its services have become paramount to information gathering and, as with its Google Maps application, an important reference point. Its influence on the Internet's two billion plus users who account for one third of the world's population should not be underestimated. The Guardian's Tom McCarthy put it best in his 3 May headline: “Palestine now recognised by greater power than US or Israel — Google”. The move came six months after the UN General Assembly recognised Palestine as a non-member observer state in a majority vote. Like the Vatican, Palestine's observer state status means it can't vote in the General Assembly, but it is possible, though debatable, for it to join the International Criminal Court. Otherwise, within the UN system, which voted for the partition of Palestine between Jews and Arabs in 1947 and then for the creation of Israel in 1948, there's nothing more to it beyond the symbolism. Similarly, Google's recognition of Palestine is recognition of the same symbolic upgrade. Israel (and the US), which opposed the Palestinian Authority's UN bid, knows perfectly well the nature of the symbolic victory, hence its stoic objection back in November, which was revived again following Google's move. Earlier this week, the Israeli deputy foreign minister accused Google of damaging peace hopes, while a spokesman questioned Google's involvement in “international politics and on the controversial side”. The US-based company, proponents of Israel are saying, got caught up in geopolitical posturing when it shouldn't have. It's unclear what prompted Google to follow the UN, if it was contacted by Palestinian parties or simply reacted to a reality in the world's foremost international organisation. While Israel's accusations imply deliberate politicisation on Google's part, few are questioning the political posturing that would have come with a decision to deliberately ignore the UN's recognition of Palestine. Of course had that happened, we wouldn't have witnessed the ruckus created by Israel and the world wouldn't have noticed. Instead, we would be following the tedious diplomatic attempts to revive an Arab peace plan proposed in 2002 with new concessions afforded to Israel. The recently modified version offers, under the pretext of “land swapping”, to give up Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967, including areas where illegal Israeli settlements are constructed in the West Bank, the main bulk of the proposed future state of Palestine as per peace talks since 1993. It also practically rescinds the right of six million Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland. But this new round of negotiations over what's left of Palestine has seen little progress, not least because Israel is snubbing it. Practically speaking, the 20-year-old peace process is long dead. Its premise, the two-state solution, has been killed by Israel's land grab beyond the 1967 borders by way of an apartheid wall, aggressive illegal settlement expansion in the West Bank, and efforts to Judaise East Jerusalem. Of course neither Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the US nor the Arab League are willing to officially acknowledge that every aspect of the Oslo Accords, the premise of the entire peace process, and thereby the two-state solution, has been exhausted and there's nothing left to negotiate about. Ironically, PA President Mahmoud Abbas's insistence on resuming talks, stalled since 2010, led him to seek recognition of Palestinian statehood from the UN, upgrading from non-member observer “entity” to “state” with no borders, army, economy or any foundations of sovereignty. A virtual state, which one would think is worthy of Google's virtual recognition. Or is it? In Abbas's desperation for relevance and the UN's willingness to retort symbolically at no political cost, geopolitical reality was unwittingly underscored. Since the two-state solution is no longer practically possible (the 11-million strong Palestinian and Jewish populations in Israel and the occupied territories is a demographic reality that can't be undone), there is no way out of the conflict except a bi-national state: a home to Jews and Palestinians. Although the one-state solution remains taboo in diplomatic circles, it's an option many on both sides have been debating openly and secretly for many years and is slowly gaining momentum. Whether or not Palestine could be that bi-national state is too early to tell, but it's possible that Israel's reaction to Google's Palestine is a manifestation of its enormous fear of even the slightest possibility of this scenario. A one-state solution, by default, negates Israel but offers the only viable solution to the conflict. Of course, Google is only following the UN, but it has allowed us to entertain the inevitable — even if currently, and allegedly, impossible.
