This Wednesday, the governments of Spain, Ireland and Norway announced that they will join the list of countries that recognize the Palestinian State.
“We are going to recognize the State of Palestine for many reasons, which could be summarized in three words: peace, justice and coherence”said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
“When the bombing stops… I want the Spanish to be able to say, with their heads held high and their conscience clear, that they were in the right side of history”he added.
Hamas called the decision a “direct result of the brave resistance of the Palestinian people,” while Israel said that “history will remember that Spain, Norway and Ireland decided to award a medal to Hamas murderers and rapists.”
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry noted that the decision of the three European countries shows “an unwavering commitment to the two-state solution.”
An overwhelming majority of states in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East recognize the Palestinian state: a total of 143 countries.
In fact, two weeks ago, 81% of the member countries of the UN General Assembly supported the Palestinian State joining that body, of which it has been an observer member since 2012.
The Palestinian state was officially declared by the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) in 1988, and then claimed sovereignty over the internationally recognized Palestinian territories: West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Stripalthough without a clear delimitation of the borders.
The Palestinian Authority, which governs and is based in the West Bank, is the legitimate representative of the Palestinians internationally and, therefore, on whom recognition has fallen since the 1990s.
At the moment, around 139 of the 193 members of the United Nations They recognize Palestine as a State, but the list does not include the United States or the United Kingdom, or any other member of the G7, the group of the seven most advanced economies in the world.
In Latin America, there are 19 countries that have recognized the existence of the Palestinian State: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
The only Latin American country that does not recognize a Palestinian state is Panama.
Panama was also the only nation in the region to vote against the Palestinians obtaining “non-member observer state” status at the United Nations, in a historic vote that took place in late 2012.
A symbolic gesture?
James Landale, BBC diplomatic correspondent, points out that the announcement by Ireland, Spain and Norway will increase pressure on other European governments – including the United Kingdom, France and Germany – to also recognize the Palestinian state.
He warns, however, that What happened this Wednesday is largely a symbolic gesture if it does not also address other vital issues.
What should the borders be? Where should the capital be located? What should both parties do first to make this happen?
Landale indicates that these are difficult questions on which no agreement has been reached and which have not been able to be answered satisfactorily for decades.
“Today, a few other countries in Europe believe there should be a Palestinian state. Their supporters will applaud the move, their opponents will condemn it,” says Landale.
“But this is unlikely to change the grim reality for Palestinians on the ground.”
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