Recognition of Palestine

The Swedish parliament was the first to vote for the recognition of the State of Palestine, in October 2-14. It was followed by votes in the following parliaments calling on their governments to recognise the Palestinian State:
  • Great Britain
  • France (both houses)
  • Ireland (both houses)
  • Spain
  • Portugal
  • Luxemburg
  • Belgium
  • Italy
The European parliament has also voted in favour of recognising Palestinian statehood.
European support may prove crucial for the "Internationalisation Strategy".
A recent report from the Crisis Group quotes Israeli and Palestinian spokesmen to this effect. The Israeli stated:
“Europe is vital because Europe is the key to international legitimacy. The U.S. is the key to the effective exercise of power, but the U.S. cannot confer legitimacy. The Europeans alone can do that."
The Palestinian asserted:
“Netanyahu has said that the test is what the EU does. We accept the challenge. It is critical for us to have as widespread backing as possible from European countries. Without that, a UN General Assembly vote will look like a defeat”.
Boycott Creative Initiatives Help for Palestinians Nuclear-free Middle East Prophets and Reconcilers