London May 22 2024: Norway, Ireland and Spain announced on Wednesday that they would recognise an independent Palestinian state on May 28, saying they hoped other Western countries would follow suit.
It prompted Israel to recall its ambassadors.
“In the middle of a war, with tens of thousands of dead and injured, we must keep alive the only thing that can provide a safe home for both Israelis and Palestinians: two states that can live in peace with each other,” Stoere told a press conference, our colleagues Nerijus Adomaitis and Gwladys Fouche write.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said the move was aimed at accelerating efforts to secure a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
“We hope that our recognition and our reasons contribute to other western countries to follow this path because the more we are, the more strength we will have to impose a ceasefire, to achieve the release of the hostages held by Hamas, to relaunch the political process that can lead to a peace agreement,” he said in a speech to the country’s lower house.
The conditions to officially recognise Palestine as a state have not yet been met, France’s foreign minister said.
“This is not just a symbolic issue or a question of political positioning, but a diplomatic tool in the service of the solution of two States living side by side in peace and security,” Stephane Sejourne said in a statement.
Palestine is one of two non-member observer states at the United Nations, along with the Holy See.
The UN describes their status as:
“Non-Member States having received a standing invitation to participate as Observers in the sessions and the work of the General Assembly and maintaining Permanent Observer Missions at Headquarters.”
The United Nations General Assembly earlier this month overwhelmingly backed a Palestinian bid to become a full U.N. member by recognizing it as qualified to join and recommending the U.N. Security Council “reconsider the matter favorably,” our colleague Michelle Nichols wrote.
The assembly adopted a resolution with 143 votes in favor and nine against – including the U.S. and Israel – while 25 countries abstained. It does not give the Palestinians full U.N. membership, but simply recognizes them as qualified to join.
An application to become a full U.N. member first needs to be approved by the 15-member Security Council and then the General Assembly.
If the measure is again voted on by the council, it is likely to face the same fate: a U.S. veto.
