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©(Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP)
Spain, Ireland and other European Union countries will recognize a Palestinian state on May 21, the EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borell, said on Thursday, ahead of an expected UN vote on Palestinian membership on Friday.
Borell told a local Spanish radio station that he is expecting Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia to recognize a Palestinian state, saying, "This is a symbolic act of a political nature. More than a state, it recognises the will for that state to exist," he said, adding that Belgium and other countries would probably follow.
Ireland's national broadcaster RTE said on Thursday that Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and Malta had been waiting for the UN vote and were considering a joint recognition on May 21.
Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said earlier this week that his country would recognize Palestine's statehood by mid-June.
The United Nations General Assembly is expected to vote in favor of Palestine's right to membership on Friday, in which they will request that the UN Security Council "reconsider the matter favorably." This follows the US's veto of a previous membership bid on April 18.
[readmore url = "https://thisisbeirut.com.lb/world/247255"]
Palestine currently holds "non-member observer" status, and this new resolution is designed to provide it with enhanced rights in the UN.
The text rules out letting it be chosen to sit on the Security Council or to vote in the General Assembly.
But it would let the Palestinians submit proposals and amendments directly, without having to go through another country, as is the case now.
It would also give them the right to be seated among member states in alphabetical order.
Israel opposes Palestinian recognition, saying that it would constitute a "prize for terrorism," and reduce the chances of a negotiated resolution to the Gaza conflict.
Borell told a local Spanish radio station that he is expecting Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia to recognize a Palestinian state, saying, "This is a symbolic act of a political nature. More than a state, it recognises the will for that state to exist," he said, adding that Belgium and other countries would probably follow.
Ireland's national broadcaster RTE said on Thursday that Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and Malta had been waiting for the UN vote and were considering a joint recognition on May 21.
Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said earlier this week that his country would recognize Palestine's statehood by mid-June.
The United Nations General Assembly is expected to vote in favor of Palestine's right to membership on Friday, in which they will request that the UN Security Council "reconsider the matter favorably." This follows the US's veto of a previous membership bid on April 18.
[readmore url = "https://thisisbeirut.com.lb/world/247255"]
Palestine currently holds "non-member observer" status, and this new resolution is designed to provide it with enhanced rights in the UN.
The text rules out letting it be chosen to sit on the Security Council or to vote in the General Assembly.
But it would let the Palestinians submit proposals and amendments directly, without having to go through another country, as is the case now.
It would also give them the right to be seated among member states in alphabetical order.
Israel opposes Palestinian recognition, saying that it would constitute a "prize for terrorism," and reduce the chances of a negotiated resolution to the Gaza conflict.
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