European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borell attends a meeting, at VIA Riyadh in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, April 29, 2024. (Photo: REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed)
The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borell, revealed Monday that several EU member states are expected to recognize “Palestine” as an independent state, by the end of May.
The countries in question are reportedly Ireland, Spain, Belgium, Malta and Slovenia, the Times of Israel reported.
Borell spoke during a meeting between European and Arab officials, on the sidelines of a special two-day session of the World Economic Forum in Riyadh, on the last day of the Passover holiday.
Earlier in April, the U.S. vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that attempted to unilaterally upgrade the Palestinian Authority (PA) to a de facto state.
While Norway is not a European Union member, it is nevertheless considering joining the diplomatic recognition of Palestine. Its foreign minister, Espen Barth Eide, helped to organize the Riyadh meeting, which included his counterparts from Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Jordan and Turkey.
“If we want to move this two-state solution forward it will not happen from the parties,” Eide told media representatives. “I do not believe that Israel is ready to negotiate at this point, and I do not think that the US is ready to take the necessary leadership. So I think an Arab-European leadership is the best we can hope for.”
“The continued rejection of the two-state solution will inevitably undermine the security and stability of the region,” Saudi’s Prince Faisal said, at the start of the European-Arab meeting, AFP reported.
Earlier on Monday, Borrell told reporters he would encourage Arab leaders to put forward their proposal for a two-state solution, and that he wanted EU member states to invite Arab leaders to Brussels to present it.
Eide accused the West of double standards on Gaza, comparing Israel’s defensive actions against Hamas with Russian aggression towards Ukraine.
“We agreed on the urgency to address regional issues and in particular to end the suffering in Gaza,” Borrell said on X after the meeting, adding that the issue of EU-Turkey relations was also part of the agenda.
In the early 1990s, the Norwegian capital became associated with secret diplomatic negotiations that eventually led to the interim Oslo Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
While Israel accepted the idea of the two-state solution, the Oslo initiative eventually collapsed due to the late PLO chief Yasser Arafat’s embrace of terrorism, and rejection of the Jewish state’s right to exist within any boundaries.
Senior Israeli officials have warned that unilateral recognition of the PA as a de facto state would constitute a major reward for the extremism and antisemitism that led to the October 7 massacres.
Ireland has, for many years, been among the most vocal Israel critics in Europe.
Earlier in April, the new Irish Prime Minister, Simon Harris, confirmed that Ireland is working towards unilaterally implementing the two-state solution.
“If you believe that a political solution must bring about a two-state solution, I think a very good starting point is recognizing that there are two states,” Harris argued during a CNN Interview. “We recognize, obviously, the State of Israel,” he added, without addressing the widespread hostility towards the Jewish state in his country.
“We recognize the right of Israel to live in peace and safety and security in that region,” he continued, “and we also believe that alongside a secure and safe Israel should be a secure, peaceful, and safe Palestine.”
In March, Spain joined the diplomatic initiative of several European countries to embrace unilateral recognition of Palestine.
“We have to decide when to do it, when we contribute to a solution and therefore, it is a matter of political assessment,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told reporters.
“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,” read the joint March 22 statement of Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia.
The Biden administration officially embraces the two-state solution. However, unlike Ireland, Spain or Norway, Washington maintains that such an agreement can only be implemented as a result of direct negotiations between the two sides.
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