One of the most deeply rooted countries in the Holy Land, Armenia, has become the 147th UN nation to recognize the State of Palestine. “We support the two-state principle for the solution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “We are convinced that this is the only way to guarantee that both can realize their legitimate aspirations,” the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
The step taken by the Government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinián is loaded with enormous symbolism. The Armenian people own one of the four neighborhoods that divide the Old City of Jerusalem. Of Christian confession, but with its own patriarchy, it shares a neighborhood with the Jewish, Muslim and Christian neighborhoods – where the headquarters and some holy places of the Catholic and Orthodox communities – of the city are located.
“The catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and the ongoing military conflict are one of the main issues on the international political agenda that require a solution,” the Armenian Executive has warned when recognizing the State of Palestine.
Armenia’s decision has been accompanied by criticism of both the Israeli Armed Forces and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. “Armenia categorically rejects attacks on civilian infrastructure, violence against the civilian population and the taking of hostages, and joins the demands of the international community for their release without preconditions,” the Pashinián Government has emphasized.
The current escalation of war in the Middle East began on October 7, when Hamas launched an attack from the Gaza Strip in which more than 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 200 kidnapped. Israel responded with a ground offensive and a massive bombardment against Gaza, which has so far killed more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to information from the Gaza Health Ministry, controlled by Hamas.
“Taking this as a basis and reaffirming our commitment to international law and the principles of equality, sovereignty and peaceful coexistence of peoples, the Republic of Armenia recognizes the State of Palestine,” the Government statement states.
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Since 2020, Armenia has waged another open war with Azerbaijan for territorial control of the Nagorno Karabakh region, with an Armenian population, but internationally recognized as Azeri territory. After two offensives – 2020 and 2023 – in which the international community remained on the sidelines and Russia acted as a mediator despite being an ally of Armenia in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Azerbaijan – with the help of Israeli weapons – conquered definitively the disputed territory last year.
Armenia thus follows in the footsteps of Spain, Norway, Ireland and Slovenia, which also recognized Palestine between May and early June. In total, 10 members of the European Union have taken this step since 1988, the year in which the Palestine Liberation Organization unilaterally proclaimed the territory’s independence. The UN plan of 1947 contemplated the creation of two states, the Palestinian and the Jewish, following the British decolonization of the Middle East after World War II.
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