Spain, Ireland and Norway on Wednesday; recognize the Palestinian state On May 28, amid international outrage over the civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, a step toward a long-held Palestinian desire was taken. Israeli offensive.
Near-simultaneous decisions by two European Union (EU) member states and Norway could create momentum for recognition of a Palestinian state by other EU member states, prompting further action at the United Nations and potentially deepening Israel’s isolation. There is.
Currently, seven member states of the 27-nation European Union officially recognize the Palestinian state. Five of these countries are former Eastern Bloc countries and, like Cyprus, announced recognition in 1988 before joining the Eastern Bloc. Sweden announced approval in 2014.
The Czech Republic, an EU member state, has said that the 1988 recognition by the former Czechoslovakia (of which it formed part at the time) does not apply to the modern state. According to the Slovak Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both countries confirmed the recognition that Slovakia was gaining independence in 1992-1993 and that the Palestinian state has had a fully functioning embassy in Bratislava since 2006.
EU members Malta and Slovenia may follow suit, it said.
About 140 of the roughly 190 countries represented in the United Nations already recognize the state of Palestine.
Here’s a look at how and why the new announcement in Europe is important.
Why is it important?
The 1947 UN Partition Plan called for the creation of a Jewish state alongside the Palestinian state, but although Palestinians occupy two-thirds of the country, they were given only half of the land. This was rejected by the Palestinians and the wider Arab world as being less than 100%. population.
The following year’s Arab-Israeli war resulted in Israel gaining even more territory, with Jordan taking control of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and Egypt taking control of Gaza.
Israel captured all three territories in the 1967 war, and decades of on-and-off peace negotiations failed.
The United States, Britain and other Western countries support the idea of establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel as a solution to the Middle East’s most intractable conflicts, but establishing a Palestinian state is not a negotiated solution. They argue that this should be implemented as part of the project. There have been no substantive negotiations since 2009.
Although EU countries and Norway will not recognise an existing state but only acknowledge the possibility of one, the symbolism will boost the Palestinians’ international standing and put further pressure on Israel to begin negotiations to end the war.
The move will also bring further attention to Middle East issues ahead of the June 6-9 elections. european parliament.
Why now?
Diplomatic pressure on Israel is mounting as fighting with Hamas drags on for eight months. united nations general assembly voted by a large margin On May 11, the United Nations announced new “rights and privileges” for Palestine. This shows growing support from the international community for a vote to become a full member state with voting rights. The Palestinian Authority currently has observer status.
In March, the leaders of Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia said they were considering recognizing a Palestinian state as a “positive contribution” to ending the war.
“This recognition is not directed against anyone, not even against the Israeli people,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday. “It is an act in support of peace, justice and moral integrity.”
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Wald Eide told The Associated Press that his country has supported the establishment of a Palestinian state for decades, but that recognition is a “once-and-forget card.”
“We used to think that recognition was something you got at the end of the process,” he said. “We now realize that recognition should come as a driving force, as an enhancement of the process.”
What does recognition mean?
Dozens of countries have recognized the Palestinian state, but none of the major Western powers have, and it is unclear how much of a difference the move by the three countries will make.
Even so, their recognition would be an important outcome for the Palestinians. Palestinians believe it will give international legitimacy to their struggle. Norway has announced that it will upgrade its representative office in Palestine to an embassy, but it is unclear what Ireland and Spain will do.
In the short term, there will be little change on the ground. Peace talks have stalled, and Israel’s hardline government is aggressively pursuing Palestinian statehood.
What is Israel’s response?
Israel acted swiftly on Wednesday, recalling its ambassadors to Ireland, Norway and Spain, and suspending a wartime agreement that transferred Palestinian tax revenue to the Palestinian Authority via Norway.
The Israeli government denies talk of Palestinian independence as a “reward” for Hamas’ attacks on southern Israel that have killed 1,200 people and abducted more than 250. It rejects any move to legitimize the Palestinians internationally.
Israel said steps like those taken by three European countries on Wednesday would harden the Palestinian position and undermine the negotiating process, and insisted all issues should be resolved through negotiations.
Who recognizes the Palestinians?
state?
Approximately 140 countries already recognize the Palestinians, more than two-thirds of the United Nations member states.
Some major countries have signaled their positions may be evolving amid protests over the impact of Israel’s attack on Gaza, which killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. are doing. The ministry does not count non-combatants and combatants separately.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron has said that recognition of a Palestinian state is unlikely as long as Hamas remains in the Gaza Strip, but that it could be recognized if negotiations between Israel and Palestinian leaders are ongoing.
France has signaled that it is not prepared to join other countries in recognizing a Palestinian state, even if it does not oppose the idea in principle. French Foreign Minister Stephane Séjournet said in comments carried by his ministry after closed-door talks with his Israeli counterpart on Wednesday that recognition of a Palestinian state must be “useful” in advancing a two-state solution, adding that now He suggested that it be approved immediately. It has no real impact in pursuing that goal.
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An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to the 1948 United Nations decision that led to the creation of the State of Israel. In fact, Israel declared independence in 1948 after the United Nations proposed a partition plan in 1947.
