Thank you for your question.
In some ways, I think the recognition of a Palestinian state at this point in time is a preventive measure. It's about providing Palestinians with another option, one that is not represented by Hamas's armies. It's about showing that they can achieve an end to their occupation and achieve their national rights through diplomacy. That, in turn, would not only boost Palestinian support for a two-state solution, thereby making a resumption of the peace process more likely in the future; it would also boost legitimacy for the Palestinian Authority.
We have to really take seriously the possibility, as many have been warning, of a collapse of the Palestinian Authority in the near future if its legitimacy is not boosted.
I would also say, though, that if and when negotiations were to take place, having negotiations between two equal parties, two states, rather than, as has been the case in the past, between a state and a people that is not a state, increases the likelihood of success. It gives the State of Palestine more leverage in peace talks, more legitimacy, and it puts more pressure on Israel to end the occupation.