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ISLAMABAD: France recognized a Palestinian state at a world summit in New York on Monday, nearly two years into the war in Gaza, joining Western allies such as Britain and Canada, who made the same historic move on Sunday and were rebuked by Israel, according to Reuters. &quot;We must do everything within our power to preserve the very possibility of a two-state solution, Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security,&quot; the summit host, French President Emmanuel Macron, said at the beginning of a planned three-hour session at the United Nations.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-10" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-10&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1970237707336192210&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=b0934304d0dccc2dc5d31d4e755d5a42b993341a&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 777px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>&quot;France recognizes the State of Palestine,&quot; he added to applause. &quot;We can no longer wait,&quot; he says, adding that recognition is a necessary step to break the spiral of violence and secure peace, CNN reported. Announcing France&#39;s recognition of a Palestinian state, Macron told the UN that &quot;nothing justifies the ongoing war&quot; in Gaza. But he stressed that giving Palestinians rights does not take away from the rights of the Israelis.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-11" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-11&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1970221879404188012&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fmedia-library%2F&sessionId=b0934304d0dccc2dc5d31d4e755d5a42b993341a&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 801px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div>Change on the ground&nbsp;While the event, convened by France and Saudi Arabia, could boost the morale of Palestinians in their long search for statehood, it is not expected to deliver change on the ground, Reuters reported. The most far-right government in Israel&#39;s history has declared there will be no Palestinian state. Israel has become increasingly isolated and drawn global condemnation over its war on Gaza, where more than 65,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to local health authorities. In recent weeks, Israel has begun a long-threatened ground assault on Gaza City with few prospects for a ceasefire. Andorra, Belgium, Luxembourg and San Marino were also expected to recognize a Palestinian state on Monday ahead of this week&#39;s UN General Assembly, after Australia, Britain, Canada and Portugal did so at the weekend. Malta made the announcement earlier on Monday. Israel has said such moves will undermine the prospects of a peaceful ending to the conflict in Gaza. Oslo AccordsThe two-state solution was the bedrock of the US-backed peace process ushered in by the 1993 Oslo Accords. The process suffered heavy pushback from both sides and has all but died. No such negotiations over a two-state solution have been held since 2014. The United States and Israel boycotted Monday&rsquo;s meeting. Israel&rsquo;s UN Ambassador Danny Danon said Israel would discuss what action to take in response to the announcements of recognition after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu returns to Israel next week. &ldquo;Those issues were supposed to be negotiated between Israel and the Palestinians in the future,&rdquo; he told reporters ahead of the meeting. The United States has told other countries that Palestinian recognition will create more problems, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said earlier this month. Israeli aggression&nbsp;Amid Israel&#39;s intensified Gaza offensive and escalating violence by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, there is a growing sense of urgency among some nations to act now before the idea of a two-state solution vanishes forever. France has driven the move, hoping that Macron&#39;s announcement in July that he would recognize a Palestinian state would give greater momentum to a movement hitherto dominated by smaller nations that are generally more critical of Israel. A delegation representing the State of Palestine has observer status at the United Nations - but no voting rights. US veto&nbsp;No matter how many countries recognize Palestinian independence, full UN membership would require approval by the Security Council, where the US has a veto. European divisions and Israeli responseWhile the majority of European countries now recognize a Palestinian state, two of the continent&#39;s largest economies, Germany and Italy, have signaled they are unlikely to make such a move soon. Germany, long a strong supporter of Israel because of its responsibility for the Holocaust, has grown more critical of Israeli policy, while insisting that recognition of a Palestinian state should come at the end of a political process to agree on a two-state solution. No further annexationsThe German government spokesperson also said on Monday that there must be no further annexations in Israeli-occupied territory. Italy said recognizing a Palestinian state could be &quot;counterproductive.&quot; On the ground, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected numerous calls to end the war until Hamas is destroyed and has said he will not recognize a Palestinian state. Netanyahu said in a statement on Sunday that he will announce Israel&#39;s response to Palestinian state recognition when he returns from the US, where he is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump. Israel is considering annexing part of the occupied West Bank as a possible response, as well as specific bilateral measures against Paris, Israeli officials have said, even though the recognitions are expected to be largely symbolic. The US has warned of possible consequences for those who take measures against Israel, including France as host of the summit, Reuters reported. 50 Palestinians killed At least 50 Palestinians were killed yesterday in Israeli strikes on Gaza and the war has overall killed more than 65,000 people in the enclave, according to the health ministry, CNN reported.&nbsp;

Middle East

Europe

France joins Britain and Canada in recognizing a Palestinian state at the UN summit, aiming to support a two-state solution. Israel has opposed the move, warning it would harm peace prospects, while considering annexing parts of the West Bank.

France joins other Western countries in recognizing Palestinian state

Reuters

LISBON: Portugal will recognize a Palestinian state on Sunday, the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Friday.The Official Declaration of Recognition will take place even before next week&#39;s High-Level Conference, it added.Foreign Minister Paulo Rangel already said this week that the country was considering the recognition of a Palestinian state during a visit to the UK.Unlike neighboring Spain, whose government recognized Palestinian statehood in May 2024 alongside Ireland and Norway and called on other EU countries to do the same, Portugal has taken a more cautious approach, saying it wanted to work out a common position with other EU countries first.Outcry against IsraelOnly a handful of the 27 European Union members recognise Palestine as a State, mostly former Communist countries as well as Sweden and Cyprus.The U.N. General Assembly approved the de facto recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine in November 2012 by upgrading its observer status at the world body to &quot;non-member state&quot; from &quot;entity&quot;.Israel is facing a growing global outcry, given that its war against Hamas in Gaza is causing many deaths, starvation and devastation.

Portugal will officially recognize a Palestinian state on Sunday, ahead of a High-Level Conference, marking a cautious shift compared to other EU countries, amid ongoing conflict and international pressure on Israel.

Portugal says it will recognize Palestinian state on Sunday 

UNITED STATES: More than 140 world leaders will descend on New York next week for the annual United Nations General Assembly summit, which will be dominated this year by the future of the Palestinians and Gaza. One world leader who will miss the gathering is Mahmud Abbas, the Palestinian president who Washington denied US visas to attend, along with his officials. Two years after the beginning of the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip, triggered by the unprecedented Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, the humanitarian catastrophe ravaging the small Palestinian territory will dominate debates at the high-level event. Kicking off Monday, Saudi Arabia and France will co-chair meetings on the future of the Israeli and Palestinian two-state solution, which aims to see both sides existing alongside one another in peace. After the overwhelming adoption last week by the General Assembly of a text supporting a future Palestinian state&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;albeit without Hamas &mdash; this meeting is expected to see the formal recognition of a Palestinian state by several countries, notably France. International Crisis Group analyst Richard Gowan called it a &quot;symbolic&quot; gesture that could have real significance &quot;if the countries that recognize Palestine follow up with further steps to try and put pressure on Israel to end its campaign in Gaza.&quot; Gowan warned of Israeli reprisals and a risk of &quot;escalation&quot; by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will address the General Assembly and has firmly said there will be no Palestinian state on his watch. The United States, Israel&#39;s main ally, has opposed recognition and vowed to deny visas to the Palestinian delegation, including Abbas. The Assembly will then vote on Friday to authorize the Palestinian president to speak via video link. All eyes will be on US President Donald Trump when Abbas speaks at the gathering, which brings much of Manhattan to a standstill every year as motorcades and heavily-armed security escorts sweep up First Avenue. Since his return to the White House, Trump has initiated massive cuts to US foreign aid, hammering UN agencies as humanitarian needs grow. Engulfed by deep financial crisis and raging wars, the UN quietly celebrated its 80th anniversary while fending off criticism of its efficacy. &#39;Existential threat&#39;&nbsp;&quot;The multilateral system... is under an existential threat,&quot; said Federico Borello, Interim Executive Director at Human Rights Watch. &quot;Norms are being weakened when powerful states, that include permanent members of the Security Council, either commit or are complicit in serious violations of international humanitarian law, as is happening in Gaza, in Ukraine, and elsewhere.&quot; &quot;People are demanding answers and action, actions that match the gravity of the challenges our world faces, actions that meet the expectations of all those on the outside looking in,&quot; UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said while calling for action on Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, and climate change. Syria&#39;s President Ahmed al-Sharaa will be a prominent new addition to the group of nearly 140 world leaders, which also includes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Brazil&#39;s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. All eyes will be on Sharaa nearly a year after his forces overthrew Bashar al-Assad, as he now confronts the challenges of rebuilding after years of civil war. Iran&#39;s nuclear program will also be high on the agenda as sanctions against Tehran lifted ten years ago could be reinstated at the end of September, following a process triggered in late August by Paris, London, and Berlin. Guterres and President Lula will also organize a climate summit on Wednesday, where some states may announce new goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, just weeks ahead of COP30 in Brazil.&nbsp;

UNGA meeting expected to see formal recognition of a Palestinian state by several countries, notably France.





Gaza, Palestinian future to dominate UN gathering

WASHINGTON: A group of US senators introduced on Thursday the first Senate resolution to urge recognition of a Palestinian state, further signaling a shift in Washington sentiment toward Israel nearly two years into its war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.&nbsp;The Democratic-led measure is unlikely to pass the chamber where President Donald Trump&#39;s Republicans have a 53-47 majority. Trump said on Thursday he disagreed with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over whether to recognize a Palestinian state, and no Republicans have joined efforts to do so.&nbsp;Democrat Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who is leading the effort, said in a statement: &quot;America has a responsibility to lead, and the time to act is now.&quot;&nbsp;The resolution urges US recognition of a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel and would offer both sides hope while boosting prospects for peace, Merkley said.&nbsp;In the House of Representatives, Ro Khanna of California is circulating a letter in an effort to rally support for the recognition of Palestinian statehood.&nbsp;The actions reflect a shift among lawmakers toward pressuring Israel to end the war and ease the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as the conflict approaches the two-year mark.&nbsp;The Israeli embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.&nbsp;The Senate resolution&#39;s other co-sponsors are Democrats Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Peter Welch of Vermont, Tina Smith of Minnesota, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii, as well as Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent who caucuses with Democrats.&nbsp;Sanders on Wednesday became the first US senator to describe events in Gaza as a genocide.&nbsp;A United Nations Commission of Inquiry concluded this week that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. Israel said the findings were biased and based on unverified evidence.&nbsp;A handful of US allies are preparing to recognize a Palestinian state as world leaders meet at the UN General Assembly in New York next week.&nbsp;A Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll last month showed that a majority of Americans - 58% - believe that every country in the United Nations should recognize Palestine as a nation.&nbsp;The Palestinian death toll from the war surpassed 65,000 on Wednesday, Gaza health authorities say. About 1,200 people were killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.&nbsp;Israel says 48 hostages remain in Gaza, and around 20 are still alive.

Americas

Democrat Jeff Merkley, who is leading the effort, says, "America has a responsibility to lead, and the time to act is now."

Articles tagged with "Palestinian state"

France joins other Western countries in recognizing Palestinian state

Portugal says it will recognize Palestinian state on Sunday

Gaza, Palestinian future to dominate UN gathering

Democratic-led US Senate resolution seeks recognition of Palestinian state