By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BRUSSELS/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel warned Monday that European Union plans to recognize a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip would effectively mean rewarding terrorism.
The Israeli foreign ministry condemned a joint announcement on the sidelines of last Thursday’s European Council meeting in Brussels issued by Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and Malta.
The four EU members announced they had “agreed on the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire, the unconditional release of hostages and a rapid, massive and sustained increase of humanitarian aid into Gaza.”
However, “Recognition of a Palestinian state following the October 7 massacre sends a message to Hamas and the other Palestinian terrorist organizations that murderous terror attacks on Israelis will be reciprocated with political gestures to the Palestinians,” foreign ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat stressed.
It was a reference to what has become known as the “Black Sabbath” in Israel, when Hamas killed 1,200 men, women, and children in the Jewish nation while some 253 people were abducted.
Haiat added that a “resolution of the conflict will only be possible through direct negotiations between the parties.”
The spokesperson wrote on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that “Any engagement in the recognition of a Palestinian state only distances reaching a resolution and increases regional instability.”
NATIONS DECLARATION
Yet the four EU nations issuing a declaration signed by their prime ministers — including Ireland’s Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, who abruptly resigned last week, said they “agreed that the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the region is through implementing a two-state solution.”
They explained that their plan would involve “Israeli and Palestinian States living side-by-side, in peace and security. We discussed together our readiness to recognize Palestine and said that we would do so when it can make a positive contribution and the circumstances are right.”
Haiat countered that the “comments of the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, about recognizing a Palestinian state, as well as the joint statement by Spain, Malta, Slovenia, and Ireland about their readiness to recognize a Palestinian state, constitute a reward for terrorism.”
Yet amid the controversy, Spain appeared to be moving away from its threat to recognize a Palestinian state unilaterally, as was suggested last November by Sanchez.
In Brussels, Sanchez said Madrid prefers coordinating recognition with other EU member states.
“We want to take this step united. It’s a decisive step in order to lay the foundations of a lasting peace,” he told media.
Sanchez also argued that the four leaders represented all sides of the political spectrum, with Spain and Malta governed by center-left parties, Slovenia by a Liberal party, and Ireland by a centre-right party. That showed “a broad consensus” that the recognition of the State of Palestine “is necessary” for any future peace process, he noted.
SLOVENIA PM
Slovenia’s Prime Minister Robert Golob also pledged a greater effort at the United Nations to secure recognition of a Palestinian state.
Golob said that conditions for doing so may be “ripe” within “a few weeks, maybe a month.”
However, the EU’s decision-making European Council President Charles Michel said last Friday that recognition was “not yet” on the 27-member bloc’s agenda.
“The debate on the recognition of Palestine was not on the table,” Michel said following the Brussels meeting, without ruling it out soon.
“But I will share with you what I think about it. I think that if the idea is to start a kind of process so it’s possible to take into account steps that could be made on both sides – by the Palestinian Authority, for instance, and by Israel – then it could be a useful process.”
Yet their pro-Palestinian views seem to gain ground within the EU, though EU member states such as Hungary remain firmly support Israel’s government.
Copyright 1999-2024 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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