Palestine Independence Declaration Day: A Delayed Justice That Will Soon Be Reality

Original article: Día de la Declaración de Independencia de Palestina: Una justicia aplazada que pronto será realidad

By Vera Baboun, Ambassador of the State of Palestine in Chile

On November 15, 1988, President Yasser Arafat, on behalf of the Palestine Liberation Organization, proclaimed the Declaration of Independence for the State of Palestine in Algeria.

This was not merely a political act; it was a solemn affirmation of the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination, sovereignty, and the establishment of a free and independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

On that historic day, the voice of Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish also echoed, the author of the Declaration of Independence, whose words encapsulated the essence of Palestinian identity and its organic connection to the land: «On the land of celestial messages to humanity, on the land of Palestine, the Palestinian Arab people was born, grew, and developed, creating their human and national existence through an organic, indivisible, and uninterrupted relationship between the people, the land, and history.»

This phrase summarizes the core of Palestinian rights: the inseparable unity between the people and their land, a bond that neither occupations nor decades of exile have managed to break. Exile did not erase Palestinian identity as the occupier intended; instead, it expanded and rooted it in every corner of the world.

Thirty-seven years after that declaration, and seventy-seven years after the first Nakba, international law remains on the side of Palestine, even though justice has been delayed. In 2025, after 771 consecutive days of genocide, siege, and systematic destruction, the Palestinian people face some of the deepest wounds in their modern history.

More than 70,000 Palestinians have been killed, over 170,000 injured, and nearly 2 million displaced, while over 80% of Gaza lies in ruins. Hunger has become a weapon of war, and even after the ceasefire, Israel continues to kill civilians, defying international law. Each statistic embodies a life lost and a moral debt that calls to humanity.

Despite the tragedy, Palestinian hope remains alive. In December 2024, the UN General Assembly reaffirmed the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the illegality of occupation.

As of 2025, 159 countries have officially recognized the State of Palestine, following recent recognitions in September by several states. This international support, reinforced by the recent Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on October 22, confirms the illegality of the occupation and all its settlements, consolidating the global consensus on the urgent need for decisive action to achieve Palestinian independence.

International law does not need reinterpretation, but rather the will to be applied, both by Israel and all member states. The law has spoken clearly: the occupation is illegal, settlements are illegal, the wall is illegal. What is lacking is not more declarations, but decisive and collective action that ends genocide, siege, and occupation, allowing for the establishment of a free, independent, and sovereign Palestinian state in accordance with international law and justice.

In this context, the New York Declaration, driven by France and Saudi Arabia, emerges as an essential framework towards a just and lasting peace. This declaration reaffirms the principles of «one state, one law, and one national authority,» based on the reconstruction of Gaza, the end of the occupation, and the realization of the Palestinian state.

The Palestinian cause is also a moral test of our time. It is not merely about rebuilding Gaza or recognizing a state; it is about restoring faith in international law, in justice, and in the universal promise that all nations have the right to exist with equality and sovereignty.

Allowing genocide to continue equates to accepting the failure of the international system; stopping it, holding perpetrators accountable, and ensuring Palestine’s independence means reaffirming that the values on which the UN was founded can still prevail over barbarism.

Every country that takes a step towards recognizing Palestine contributes to ending 77 years of impunity and restoring historical justice. The future of the free world today is measured by its capacity to prioritize law over force, protect life, and stop justifying its destruction.

Today, humanity is called to act, for international law has already spoken: the occupation is illegal, self-determination is a duty, and Palestinian independence is an inalienable right. Justice cannot be delayed any longer: an independent State of Palestine must become a reality.

By Vera Baboun, Ambassador of the State of Palestine in Chile