Pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim has called for the formal recognition of Palestine as an independent country.

An “equitable” two-state solution is the only way for justice for the Palestinians and security for Israel, the Argentine-born Israeli wrote in a column for the German weekly Die Zeit.

“You cannot expect a compromise between two peoples who do not recognise each other,” Mr Barenboim wrote. 

“For a two-state solution, we need two states, and they are not there right now.

“Recognise Palestine as a state, as you have recognized Israel as a state.” 

Mr Barenboim, 75,  is a longstanding critic of the occupation of the West Bank. 

He jointly established the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, which brought together Israeli and Arab young musicians in Seville, with Edward Said in 1999.

Worldwide recognition of a Palestinian state has drawn renewed attention since President Donald Trump announced that the United States now recognises Jerusalem as Israel’s capital city. 

The move, a significant concession to Israelis, was criticised because no similar move was made for the Palestinians.