The decision by three European nations – Ireland, Norway and Spain – to recognize a Palestinian state is consistent with Palestinian leaders’ long-standing goal of securing diplomatic acceptance, but there are It seems likely that the immediate practical impact will be limited.
Broadly speaking, recognizing a state means declaring that it meets the conditions for statehood under international law. It often opens the way to establishing diplomatic relations and locating embassies there. But European countries seem primarily interested in expressing support for the Palestinians and sending a message to Israel at a time of growing international concern about its going to war.
Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told a news conference that the country’s representative office to the Palestinian Authority, opened in the West Bank in 1999, would become an embassy. He did not give a specific date for this change but said it would allow Norway to join bilateral agreements.
Recognition would also have some “domestic legal effects in Norway in areas where issues related to the Palestinian state arise,” he said.
The statements by the leaders of Ireland and Spain focused on the need for peace in Gaza and the importance of a two-state solution, but did not mention embassies or other immediate changes.
“Recognition of Palestine is not the end of a process but the beginning” Simon Harris said, taoiseach, or prime minister of Ireland. He said Ireland was recognizing the right of a Palestinian state to exist in peace and security within internationally agreed borders, saying that doing so sent a message “that there is a viable alternative to the nihilism of Hamas.”
Mr. Harris said he would travel to Brussels on Sunday to meet with more than 40 partners from the Middle East, Europe and elsewhere “to discuss how recognition can make a concrete, practical impact on ending this terrible conflict and implementing the two-state solution. ”
According to the Palestinian Authority’s website, to date, about 140 countries, mainly outside Western Europe, have recognized a Palestinian state. These countries do not include the United States, Israel’s most important ally, or Britain, France or Germany.
Wednesday’s announcements fit into a broader Palestinian effort to diplomatic recognitionalthough progress so far has had little immediate impact on the lives of people in the West Bank and Gaza.
The United Nations voted in 1947 to establish an independent Arab state alongside a Jewish state, but the plan was rejected by neighboring Arab governments and Palestinian Arabs, and the The state of Israel was established amid the war the following year. In the decades since, plans for a two-state solution have been repeatedly stymied.
This month, the United Nations General Assembly is overwhelming passed a resolution declares that Palestinians are eligible for full membership of the United Nations. The Council can only grant full membership with Security Council approval, and the United States would almost certainly use its veto to destroy such measuresas we did last month.
Although a majority in the General Assembly supports a Palestinian state, the resolution is the first time the body has voted on the issue of full membership, reflecting what appears to be growing solidarity with the Palestinians. deepened in some countries due to the war in Gaza.
Palestine became a member of UNESCO, the United Nations cultural organization, in 2011 but its bid for full UN membership failed. The following year, Palestine was was granted a lower status than observer at the United Nations, a level shared by the Holy See.
Observers can join in sessions of the United Nations General Assembly but are not allowed to vote. They can also join the International Court of Justice, which is currently trial a case about the legality of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories.
International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Khan made the request on Monday arrest warrant to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel and Hamas leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel does not recognize the court, but Palestine has been a member of the court since 2015.
Palestine is also a party to several treaties and has become Member of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in 2018.
Henrik Pryser libel Report contributions.
