Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia towards the recognition of Palestine as a state. The heads of government of these individual countries consider the choice to be the “only way to achieve peace and security” in the Middle East.
Israel, the USA: no more weapons if it invades Rafah. The reply: Biden disappointing. On May 21, Ireland and Spain will recognize the State of Palestine
Recognition in the EU and around the world
Despite a commitment made in 1999 by the leaders of the European Union, today the majority of member countries do not recognize the Palestinian state, contrary to what happens in the rest of the world.
In the European Union only nine out of 27 countries recognize the Palestinian state according to the borders established in 1967, which include the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem. The EU as a whole supports the “two-state solution”, but not the Palestinian state itself.
In 1999 the European Union declared itself ready to “recognize a Palestinian state in due time”, as stated in the conclusions of the Berlin European Council.
Sweden is the only country that recognized Palestine as a state in 2014 when it had already entered the European Union. Malta, Cyprus, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria did so before joining the Union.
Palestine is recognized as a state worldwide 139 countries, about 70% of the members of the United Nations: almost all of Asia, Africa and Latin America. Among the countries that do not do so, while maintaining diplomatic relations with the Palestinian National Authority, there are the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
An urgent matter
The topic, ignored for a long time, returned among the most debated issues after October 7, with the Hamas attack.
“The issue of recognition is just one of many examples of inconsistency between the EU’s support for peace, the two-state solution and international law and the lack of corresponding concrete actions,” he said Martin Konecnydirector of the European Middle East Project.
Then, according to the expert, there is the issue of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which hinder the formation of a Palestinian state because they occupy the territory where the country should be established.
Recognition of Palestine could improve the reputation of the Palestinian National Authority, which currently governs the West Bank with difficulty, and which could replace Hamas in control of the Gaza Strip after the conflict ends.
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