Ramallah- Ambassador Omar Awadallah, Palestinian Assistant Foreign Minister for United Nations Affairs and its specialized organizations, said in an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net that the total number of countries that recognize Palestine has become 147 countries, adding that the Israeli reactions to the recent recognition of the State of Palestine by 3 European countries express “Israeli hysteria,” and that The occupation meets legal procedures with crimes such as stealing Palestinian funds.
Yesterday, Wednesday, Spain, Norway, and Ireland announced their official recognition of the State of Palestine, while Slovenia and Malta announced their readiness for recognition. On May 10, the United Nations General Assembly had previously adopted a resolution declaring the State of Palestine’s eligibility for full membership in the United Nations, and 143 countries voted in favor of it. 25 abstained from voting, while 9 countries rejected the resolution.
This was preceded by the United States using its veto power on April 18, which prevented the Security Council from adopting a draft resolution recommending the admission of the State of Palestine as a member of the United Nations.
For its part, Israel responded to the recognition of the three countries with measures on the ground, the first of which was the cancellation of the so-called disengagement law in the northern occupied West Bank, thus allowing the return of settlers to 3 settlements, and the announcement by Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of his refusal to transfer tax revenues (clearance) to the authority. The Palestinian Authority, and its demand to approve a package of sanctions against it, and the Israeli Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, storming Al-Aqsa Mosque and attacking the countries that recognized the Palestinian state.
These developments come days after the International Criminal Court issued decisions condemning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Yoav Galant on charges of committing war crimes during the ongoing aggression against the Gaza Strip since last October 7.
The following is the text of the interview with the Palestinian official:
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What is the importance of Spain, Norway and Ireland recognizing the Palestinian state?
The importance of the recognition of these three countries stems from the fact that they are European countries and some of them are members of the European Union, which has a major role in working to protect the Palestinian people, preserve the two-state solution based on ending the Israeli colonial occupation, and achieving the right to self-determination for the Palestinian people.
Therefore, we do not consider that there are 3 countries that have recognized it in the abstract numerical sense, but rather we say that there are democracies and countries that stand with international law and with the rights of peoples, especially the Palestinian people, to have equal rights like others, and therefore there are hundreds of thousands and millions of individuals who stand with the people of Our people.
These 3 countries also have weight in terms of their legal and moral positions supporting the preservation of the multilateral international system based on international law.
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What benefit do these confessions benefit Palestine? How can we benefit from it and employ it politically?
Recognition at this particular time when the Palestinian people are exposed to a war of denial of existence and genocide is a very important matter, and it is a message that the Palestinian people must obtain their inalienable rights, most important of which is independence in their state and an end to this Israeli colonial occupation.
This recognition is also very beneficial, in that when these countries recognize the State of Palestine, they contribute to supporting the rights of the Palestinian people and contributing to their protection, and to ensuring that there is a clear mechanism to end the occupation.
Also, the administrative and legal system in these countries – and since it deals with the administrative system in the State of Palestine – can contribute to accountability for the crimes of the occupation and the crimes it commits at the international legal level, and at the local judicial level of these countries in general.
Therefore, these countries contribute to making the two-state solution a possible and effective solution, and this is the actual form of implementing the two-state solution through recognition of the State of Palestine.
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What are the most prominent countries expected to soon recognize the State of Palestine?
There are many countries ready for recognition, and consider it important to recognize the State of Palestine in order to protect the two-state solution, as recognition is a sovereign issue for countries at the bilateral level.
We have witnessed that there are many countries that voted in favor of the decision to raise the status of the State of Palestine in the United Nations and its eligibility for membership, and among them were a number of European and non-European countries that voted in favor of this decision, and it is expected that they will recognize the State of Palestine as soon as possible, but we do not want To say what those countries are currently.
We want all countries to recognize the State of Palestine, because it is a historical, natural and legal right of the Palestinian people, especially since this right has been prolonged for more than 76 years since United Nations Resolution 181 regarding partition, which spoke about the existence of a Palestinian Arab state on the land of historic Palestine. Along with the State of Israel.
It is important for all countries to recognize Palestine, but the countries that still link their recognition to accepting Israel are clearly disconnected from reality, because they want to give the Israeli side a veto over the right to self-determination for the Palestinian people, and this is unacceptable.
In fact, we look with astonishment and disapproval at these countries that link the right of self-determination for the Palestinian people or the independence of their state and ending the occupation to the approval of a fascist government – like the current Israeli government – on this issue.
Ben Gvir attacking the European countries that announced recognition of a state #Palestine: A reward will be given to the elite force and to the killers, and we will not allow that#Gaza_War pic.twitter.com/wBAQfBjrfB
– Tel Aviv Tribune Channel (@AJArabic) May 23, 2024
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What is your comment on the number of measures taken by Israel in response to the three countries’ recognition of Palestine?
Regarding the Israeli statements and actions, it is clear that the Israeli hysteria against the leadership and the Palestinian people is repeated and real, and we heard it when we joined the International Criminal Court and other international institutions, where the occupation tried to punish the Palestinian people and their leadership by preventing the sending of our money.
These measures are determined by the international community if it will accept that the legal steps taken by the State of Palestine in order to obtain its rights be confronted with crimes, such as the crime of stealing the Palestinian people’s money in clearing (tax revenues), or the crime of colonial settlement that is being considered by the International Criminal Court.
Israel faces the Palestinian legal and positive path with war crimes, and we believe that – sooner or later – the Israeli leadership will be brought to international courts and questioned and held accountable for them.
The Palestinian people are united in confronting this colonial occupation, and confronting all measures taken by Israel to punish them and their leadership for taking legal steps that preserve their rights.
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Where have the movements reached regarding recognition of Palestine at the level of the Security Council and international institutions?
Movements at the international level are still taking place, whether in the Security Council, the General Assembly, the Human Rights Council, or in international courts such as the Criminal Court or the International Court of Justice.
All this international institutional work and work with the international system continues in order to confront the occupation for the crimes it commits against the Palestinian people.
Therefore, this movement will continue, recognition will continue, and work will continue until this Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people stops, and work until the colonial system is confronted and punished for the crimes it commits against the Palestinian people.
But the necessity and priority now is to stop the aggression and ceasefire, protect the Palestinian people from forced displacement, and work for countries to take a set of consequences and sanctions against Israel. This is a summary of the movement undertaken by the Palestinian leadership in order to confront the crimes committed against the Palestinian people.
