Most countries in the world unilaterally recognized the Palestinian state, and the Palestinians officially resumed the process of becoming a full UN member state.
According to the Palestinian Authority’s own calculations, some 137 countries out of 193 UN states have expressed recognition of a Palestinian state. This does not apply to most countries in Western Europe, North America, Australia, Japan and South Korea.
While visiting Jordan, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Tuesday that he was determined to speed up Spain’s recognition of a Palestinian state by the summer, according to several Spanish dailies.
China, India, Türkiye… In 1988, the first recognitions
On November 15, 1988, a few months after the outbreak of the first intifada (the Palestinian uprising against Israeli occupation), Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) leader Yasser Arafat proclaimed himself in Algeria to have “created a Palestinian state.” with its capital in Jerusalem, from the platform of the Palestinian National Council (PNC) in exile. A few minutes later, Algeria officially recognized the “independent Palestinian state.”
A week later, forty countries, including China, India, Turkey and most Arab countries, had already taken the same step. They will be followed by almost all countries of the African continent and the Soviet bloc.
Basically in 2010 and 2011 it will be the turn of most countries in Central America and Latin America.
2012: Palestinians joined the UN
The Palestinians are also launching a diplomatic offensive at the level of international institutions. In a historic vote in November 2012, they became a UN observer state, which, in the absence of full voting member status, gives them access to UN agencies and international treaties.
With this new status, the Palestinians will join the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2015, allowing an investigation into military operations in the Palestinian territories to begin. The US and Israel condemn this decision.
UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) paved the way by accepting the Palestinians as one of its full members in October 2011. Israel and the United States will leave the organization in 2018, with the latter returning in 2023.
In Europe, Sweden is a pioneer
Sweden, which has a large Palestinian community, became the first EU country to recognize the “State of Palestine” in 2014, with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus doing so before joining the EU.
Stockholm’s decision, which came at a time when efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict appeared to be at a complete impasse, led to years of tumultuous relations with Israel.
What about France?
Spain is not the only European country considering following in Sweden’s footsteps. On 22 March, Pedro Sánchez issued a joint statement with his Irish, Maltese and Slovenian counterparts in which they said they were “ready to recognize Palestine” if “the circumstances are right.”
French President Emmanuel Macron also stepped forward in February, saying unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state “is not a taboo for France.”
Source: Le Parisien
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