SPEAKING in Madrid yesterday, the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that the recognition of a Palestinian state is ‘in Europe’s geopolitical interests’.
The Spanish PM also warned that Israel’s ‘disproportionate response’ in its Gaza war with Hamas risks ‘destabilising the Middle East, and as a consequence, the entire world’.
Sanchez had already raised the subject of statehood during a visit last week to Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, when he indicated that Spain could recognise Palestine as a nation by the end of June. Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia announced last month they would jointly work toward recognition of a Palestinian state, with the Irish Foreign Affairs and Defence Minister Micheál Martin saying that formal recognition of Palestine by Ireland ‘will happen’.
Speaking in the national parliament, Martin said he was bringing a formal proposal on the recognition of Palestinian statehood to Government.
On Tuesday, Martin said: ‘For the past six months, I’ve maintained ongoing discussions with ministerial colleagues and other countries about how a joint formal recognition of Palestinian statehood could be a catalyst to help the people of Gaza and the West Bank, and in furthering an Arab-led peace initiative.
‘We’ve agreed that the undermining of the Oslo Accords and therefore the agreement to create two states has reached the point where the accords’ approach with recognition after a final agreement is not credible or tenable any longer.’ He added: ‘We’ve discussed this between the government parties and it is my intention to bring to Government a formal proposal on recognition when these wider international discussions are complete.’ Martin added: ‘But be in no doubt, recognition of a Palestinian state will happen.’
Meanwhile Iran and Iraq have underlined a further consolidation of relations within the framework of cooperation among the Islamic countries to stop Israel’s savagery in the besieged Gaza Strip.
President Ebrahim Raeisi and his Iraqi counterpart, Abdul Latif Rashid had a phone conversation on Tuesday. Rashid, for his part, described the relations between Iran and Iraq as ‘strong and deep and in line with securing the mutual interests’. ‘The Iraqi government also believes the two countries should try to strengthen the friendly relations regardless of the conspiracy of ill-wishers,’ he said.
Elsewhere in their phone conversation, Raeisi said the deep sorrow caused by the unprecedented crimes and atrocities of the Zionist regime against the Palestinians in Gaza is the most important common issue between Iran and Iraq as well as the Islamic world.
The Iranian president underscored the religious and human responsibility of all Muslims and free people of the world regarding an end to the crimes of Israel.
The Iraqi president also expressed regret over the continuation of the crimes committed by the Zionist regime against the oppressed Palestinians of Gaza, as well as the ineffectiveness of measures to stop the occupying entity’s crimes through international organisations, including the United Nations Security Council.
He said: ‘It is necessary for Islamic countries to look for an action plan to solve the Palestinian issue from the root and for this oppressed nation to achieve its rights.’
Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council president has referred the Palestinian Authority’s (PA’s) application for Palestine to become a full member of the world body to its membership committee.
The 15-member committee is expected to make a decision about Palestine’s status this month, said Vanessa Frazier, Malta’s UN ambassador, who also proposed that the committee meet on Monday to consider the application.
Palestinian UN envoy, Riyad Mansour, told reporters in New York that the PA sincerely hoped that after 12 years as an observer state at the UN, the Security Council would ‘elevate itself to implementing the global consensus on the two-state solution by admitting the state of Palestine for full membership’. Reporting from UN headquarters in New York, Al Jazeera’s Gabriel Elizondo said the PA’s membership bid was ‘moving forward’ and highlighted that this is a significant and symbolic moment for Palestine.
‘This is only the second time that Palestine has been able to get this far in their bid for full UN membership. The last time was 2011 when it essentially failed in the Security Council standing committee due to a threat by the US to veto it if it ever came to a vote,’ he noted.
‘It is believed that Palestine has the support in the General Assembly. That is pretty much widely accepted. The issue is in the Security Council, … where any of the five permanent members could veto it, and this would then stop the process,’ Elizondo said.
Israel’s UN ambassador, Gilad Erdan, said recognition of a Palestinian state would be a threat to Israel’s national security.
The TUC must now break its silence and speak up for the State of Palestine. It must insist on statehood for Palestine to be established NOW!
