Paris- After weeks of discussions, the governments of Spain, Norway, and Ireland announced their intention to recognize the State of Palestine, in a move that will take effect on May 28.
Norway – which hosted the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks in the early 1990s that led to the Oslo Accords – stressed the need to support moderate voices in the midst of the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.
Although some describe the recognition of a Palestinian state as “symbolic” and an additional “political tool” to pressure Israel, the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is disturbed simply because some countries justify their lag behind the ranks of countries that recognize this Palestinian right.
Symbolic confession or pressure tool?
Former Greek Foreign Minister George Katrougalos did not rule out the political importance of recognition, considering it a “symbolic step” that allows the rights, struggle and suffering of the Palestinians to be highlighted, as well as their right to self-determination and security.
Catrogalos explained – to Tel Aviv Tribune Net – that this event can be linked to the arrest warrants issued by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, adding that Israeli society does not want to fall into the trap of rhetoric that incites the elimination of all Palestinians.
But there are those who believe that the move of the three countries, at this time, aims to put pressure on the Israeli occupation to end the war, and to send a strong message to the rest of the countries to follow suit.
In this context, historian and founder of the Center for the Global History of Ideas in Oslo, Dag Herbornsrud, believes that what happened goes beyond symbolism because it puts real pressure on most European NATO countries, ruling out the same thing happening in Sweden and Denmark due to the presence of right-wing governments in power. .
He told Tel Aviv Tribune Net that he expected Israel’s reaction, “It took only 24 minutes to order Tel Aviv to withdraw its ambassador from Norway, and it seems to me that it is aware that it is in the worst situation it has faced since 1948, with the presence of real internal influence within it from those who oppose the Netanyahu government.”
For his part, Spanish political analyst Ricard Gonzalez described the tripartite recognition as a “pressure machine on Israel” in conjunction with the International Criminal Court’s request, which may force the Netanyahu government to make some concessions to ease international pressure, in addition to the broad European move towards more recognition in favor of Palestine.
Gonzalez believed that this recognition would improve the relationship between the Spanish government and the Palestinian Authority, although it would have adverse results in the relationship between Madrid and Tel Aviv.
Speaking to Tel Aviv Tribune Net, Gonzalez pointed out that Spain had previously asked the European Commission to consult about suspending the agreement between the European Union and Israel, but the specialized committee has not given any response yet, “which may prompt Madrid to file a claim in the European Supreme Court to put more pressure, which is more important.” “Effectiveness and importance of recognition in itself.”
In turn, Ashley Jackson, a researcher involved in the Conflict, Security and Development Research Group at King’s College in London, believes that the symbolism of recognition is a demonstration of unity and an attempt to exert influence on the diplomatic and political solution to the conflict in Gaza, which is a means of urging Washington and its allies to put pressure to end the war.
Jackson told Tel Aviv Tribune Net that this recognition comes in the wake of the arrest warrants requested by the International Criminal Court, and she considered that there is still a need for the United Kingdom and some other European powers to recognize Palestine.
Political tactic
Dozens of countries have already recognized Palestine as an independent state, but the real momentum revolves mainly around the expected political impact, including the erosion of Washington’s ownership of the Palestinian-Israeli peace process since the Oslo talks, and the internal unrest ravaging Israel.
In this context, the Chairman of the Freedoms and Justice Committee in the European Parliament, Juan Fernando Luber Aguilar, confirmed – to Tel Aviv Tribune Net – that there is a consensus within the European Union that what the Netanyahu government is doing is indiscriminate revenge and a military operation that destroys and kills on a large scale, as a response to the Al-Aqsa Flood operation that The international community condemned it, as he put it.
Since each member state has absolute sovereignty in making its decision, it will mean that Palestine must be taken into account from now on in order to reach a permanent and peaceful settlement to the longest conflict the world has witnessed since World War II, according to Aguilar.
When the former Greek minister was asked whether his country would join the countries that recognize Palestine, he said – regretfully – that the government’s position will not differ from the American position, explaining that “Greece submitted a proposal in Parliament to recognize Palestine, but the government has not officially recognized it yet. That is why I believe that what is happening Now it will be a political tactic that will drag new countries into taking the same step.”
In his political reading of various international positions, political analyst Gonzalez believes that the European countries supporting Palestine will influence the other European spectrum, such as Germany and the Netherlands, which may not officially recognize, but they will find themselves forced to take measures to try to bridge this gap, noting that “all European countries In theory, they support the two-state solution, but most say that this must be negotiated with Israel, something that may never happen.
French evasion
While the official statements continued, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoyne came out – in a written statement – in which he considered that recognizing a Palestinian state “is not considered taboo for France,” adding that “making this decision must be made at the appropriate time so that there is a before and after.” “.
Commenting on this, former Foreign Ministry advisor Manaf Kilani believes that France is playing on the Israeli position (which will never recognize the State of Palestine) to justify its position, stressing that the Paris Declaration will not be in favor of the Palestinian state in any way because it is evading and considers Palestine a “forbidden” issue that is not permissible. Tickle or touch Israeli sensibilities.
Kilani explained in an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net that, “The Oslo Accords did not actually present the idea of a Palestinian state, but rather it was merely an arrangement aimed at saving time for the benefit of Israel. This means that, basically, there is no idea or project for a state, but the purpose was to convince the Palestinians of the necessity of accepting the situation.” “perpetual present.”
The former advisor to the French Foreign Ministry pointed out, “What is overlooked is the fact that recognizing the State of Israel, whether in the West or the East, means recognizing Israel’s rights, including the right to expand within borders that were not determined by the Oslo Accords, and no one knows where it stands.” Hence the complete imbalance, which could justify the French position that conditions are now “unfavorable.”
