©Paul FAITH / AFP
The decision by Ireland, Norway and Spain, announced on Wednesday, to recognize the State of Palestine has sparked a mixture of praise, evasion and fury internationally.
The Palestine Liberation Organization and Islamist group Hamas welcomed the decision to recognize a Palestinian state as a boost for their cause.
"We consider this an important step towards affirming our right to our land," Hamas said in a statement, calling on "countries around the world to recognize our legitimate national rights".
Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said it was the "brave resistance" of the Palestinian people that spurred the move by the three European countries.
"We believe this will be a turning point in the international position on the Palestinian issue."
The Palestine Liberation Organization, seen internationally as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, hailed the decision as "historical".
The moves were "historical moments in which the free world triumphs for truth and justice", said Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary general of the PLO executive committee.
Saudi Arabia "welcomed the positive decision" and called on other countries to follow suit.
Jordan hailed the coordinated move as an "important and essential step towards Palestinian statehood".
"We welcome the decisions taken by friendly European countries today to recognize a Palestinian state," Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told a joint press conference in Amman.
Jordan is the custodian of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and has played a mediating role between Israel and the Palestinians in the past.
Safadi expressed hopes that "these decisions will be part of a wider movement that... places all countries in the world and the region on a clear path towards a just and comprehensive peace, which is the only guarantor for security and stability for the region".
However, France said, Wednesday, that now is not the right moment for it to recognize a Palestinian state.
"Our position is clear: the recognition of a Palestinian state is not a taboo for France," Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne wrote in a statement to AFP.
"This decision must be useful, that is to say allow a decisive step forward on the political level," he added.
"France does not consider that the conditions have been present to date for this decision to have a real impact in this process", he said.
Israel reacted with fury, recalling its ambassadors to Ireland, Norway and Spain on Wednesday and also summoned their respective envoys in protest at their governments' recognition of a Palestinian state.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz charged that all three countries were rewarding Hamas for their October 7 attack which sparked the Gaza war.
"The twisted step of these countries is an injustice to the memory of the victims," he said in a statement.
Israel's envoys were being recalled from Dublin, Oslo and Madrid for "urgent consultations," Katz said, threatening "serious consequences."
Katz said that the three countries' ambassadors were also being summoned for a "conversation that would rebuke" their governments' decision to recognize a Palestinian state by May 28.
With AFP
The Palestine Liberation Organization and Islamist group Hamas welcomed the decision to recognize a Palestinian state as a boost for their cause.
"We consider this an important step towards affirming our right to our land," Hamas said in a statement, calling on "countries around the world to recognize our legitimate national rights".
Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said it was the "brave resistance" of the Palestinian people that spurred the move by the three European countries.
"We believe this will be a turning point in the international position on the Palestinian issue."
The Palestine Liberation Organization, seen internationally as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, hailed the decision as "historical".
The moves were "historical moments in which the free world triumphs for truth and justice", said Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary general of the PLO executive committee.
Saudi Arabia "welcomed the positive decision" and called on other countries to follow suit.
Jordan hailed the coordinated move as an "important and essential step towards Palestinian statehood".
"We welcome the decisions taken by friendly European countries today to recognize a Palestinian state," Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told a joint press conference in Amman.
Jordan is the custodian of Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, and has played a mediating role between Israel and the Palestinians in the past.
Safadi expressed hopes that "these decisions will be part of a wider movement that... places all countries in the world and the region on a clear path towards a just and comprehensive peace, which is the only guarantor for security and stability for the region".
Evasion
However, France said, Wednesday, that now is not the right moment for it to recognize a Palestinian state.
"Our position is clear: the recognition of a Palestinian state is not a taboo for France," Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne wrote in a statement to AFP.
"This decision must be useful, that is to say allow a decisive step forward on the political level," he added.
"France does not consider that the conditions have been present to date for this decision to have a real impact in this process", he said.
Fury
Israel reacted with fury, recalling its ambassadors to Ireland, Norway and Spain on Wednesday and also summoned their respective envoys in protest at their governments' recognition of a Palestinian state.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz charged that all three countries were rewarding Hamas for their October 7 attack which sparked the Gaza war.
"The twisted step of these countries is an injustice to the memory of the victims," he said in a statement.
Israel's envoys were being recalled from Dublin, Oslo and Madrid for "urgent consultations," Katz said, threatening "serious consequences."
Katz said that the three countries' ambassadors were also being summoned for a "conversation that would rebuke" their governments' decision to recognize a Palestinian state by May 28.
With AFP
Read more
Comments