After Spain, Norway and Ireland, France must recognize the State of Palestine!
This Wednesday, June 22, marks new progress in favor of the rights of the Palestinian people and international law.
In ” close coordination “, according to the words of the Norwegian Prime Minister, three European states and not the least, Spain, Norway and Ireland, accompanied by Slovenia and Malta, have decided to grant recognition of their country to the existence of a Palestinian statein.
The AFPS welcomes the decision of these European countries.
“ Recognition can no longer wait for a peace solution » Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said at a press conference in Oslo. Simon Harris, Irish Prime Minister, welcomed a “ historic and important day for Ireland and Palestine “. For its people, the scars of British colonialism are still alive. Last week, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had already indicated that he would announce the date of Madrid's decision.
After the request from the President of the International Criminal Court to issue international arrest warrants against Benyamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, and Yoav Gallant, his Minister of Defense, for war crimes and crimes against Humanity, it This is one more step that has been taken: 146 of the 193 member states of the United Nations (UN) now recognize the Palestinian state
There can be no real peace for the peoples of the region without the effective recognition of the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people, which requires the first of national rights: to have a State.
The AFPS would like to recall on this occasion that the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people cannot be fully exercised without the application of the right of return of refugees.
As for France, it spoke out in 2012 at the UN General Assembly in favor of this recognition. In 2014, the National Assembly and the Senate asked the President of the Republic to do so. It could thus have played a driving role with its European partners. But François Hollande then preferred to respond that he would “ When the time comes »… Moment that never came. France thus passed its turn, leaving leadership to others.
Emmanuel Macron, for his part, claims that the question is not taboo. It remains to be seen what this means in terms of decision-making. The AFPS simply asks him to bring his actions into line with France's vote in the UN Security Council.
The State of Palestine is still waiting, 76 years after Israel's admission to the United Nations!
This double standard must stop. Israel cannot oppose this recognition, it has no right to do so, the self-determination of the Palestinian people is not its responsibility. Netanyahu should never have been allowed to display before the UN General Assembly a map of Israel covering the entire territory from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River, cynically denying the very existence of Palestine.
To retort, as Israel does, that recognition would be a bonus to terrorism is purely grotesque: in what way would initiating a political solution to an oppression of more than 76 years be a bonus to terrorism? It is a step towards peace and justice.
As for Stéphane Séjourné, the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, for him, this is not the right time. It's never the time to be upset. friend Bibi “. As with François Hollande, we wonder when this good moment will come! When there will be 100,000 deaths in Gaza, 2000 in the West Bank? When will there be 20,000 Palestinian political prisoners? When will Israel have annexed the West Bank, expelled more than two million Palestinians and recolonized Gaza?
On the contrary, the time has come to stop Israel in its endeavor to erase the Palestinian people and to do everything to achieve equal rights for Palestinians wherever they are.
States which, like France, say they are committed to the rights of peoples must prove it through this simple act. Recognizing the State of Palestine is the first step towards recognizing the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, it is recognizing the value of the right of peoples to self-determination, in the face of a fait accompli and against the law of the strongest.
France must recognize the State of Palestine now!
The National Office of the AFPS,
May 23, 2024
