At least 24 countries recognize Palestine before September
Last Updated on Tuesday, 28 June 2011 08:56 Written by Sandeep Tuesday, 28 June 2011 08:56
At least 24 countries by September will recognize the State of Palestine on the borders of June 1967, said on Monday Nabil Shaath, a senior official of Fatah, the party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
“One hundred and fifteen countries have officially recognized so far and five have yet to be confirmed, bringing the number to 120,” Shaath said during a press conference in Ramallah (West Bank).
“But we have reports of at least 24 states have decided to recognize before September. They informed us and we expect this to happen in the coming weeks, starting with Armenia” Mr. Shaath said.
Shaath also said that “two Arab states that had not recognized the State of Palestine, Syria and Lebanon, will likely vote in favor of the State of Palestine”.
President Abbas has officially confirmed Sunday that the Palestinians are determined to claim the UN in September to the status of full membership for their state, based on the lines of June 1967 (the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem East).
They hope to raise this by a two-thirds of the 192 member states of the UN General Assembly at its next session in September.
The United States and several European countries like Germany and Italy, allied with Israel, have opposed such a move “unilaterally”. Others, like France, Spain and Sweden keep their options open, having suggested that they might eventually recognize a Palestinian state.
The international community wants to believe the resumption of the peace process, stalled since September 2010, and exerts pressure on the Palestinians and Israelis, but so far without success.
In the absence of any realistic prospect of resuming talks with Israel, Palestinians argue that their application for recognition at the UN is not inconsistent with the peace process, but to make it complete.
“It is time the international community approves the accession of a Palestinian state in the United Nations along the lines of 1967. This is inevitable if it is to preserve the peace process and stability and (…) peace in the region, “pleaded the Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.