Belgium had just joined the UK, France and other countries in promising to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations in New York. Shutterstock Sir Keir Starmer with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud AbbasFour criteria for statehood are listed in the 1933 Montevideo Convention. When the PLO chairman, Yasser Arafat, returned from years in exile to lead the Palestinian Authority, local Palestinian politicians found themselves mostly side-lined. "You could get the Archangel Michael down to earth and have him head the Palestinian Authority, but it wouldn't make any difference. Crucially, the plan says nothing about the Palestinian Authority, referring only to "reformed Palestinian self-governance", or any future connection between Gaza and the West Bank.