Ministers in talks at UN over the recognition of Palestine

Ministers from all over the globe will assemble on July 28th, in order to determine if Palestinian statehood is a feasible step in regards to the current Israel-Palestine conflict, according to Middle East Eye via Reuters.

The decision for potential statehood may finally be made, in what has been a lengthy process due to the delay of a UN conference. Notably, the event is being boycotted by Israel, as well as the US.

France’s stance on recognition is an example of an opinion that may be observed in the conference, as the country previously expressed its intention to deem Palestine as an official state. On July 27th, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot stated his objective to persuade other countries to follow France in its recognition of Palestinian statehood. 

French President Emmanuel Macron has further stated that during the annual UN General Assembly in September, he will express French recognition of a Palestinian state to the other world leaders. Barrot said that France “will launch an appeal” to prompt other countries to join it in its pursuit to declare Palestine a state. He also exhibited his hope for the condemnation of Hamas by Arab countries, and expects these countries to call for Hamas to lay down its arms.

Recognition of Palestine as a state has been continually supported by the UN – in May of last year, the UN General Assembly came to the substantially backed standpoint of favouring the recognition of Palestine as a full UN member. This was shown by the sheer number of votes backing this – 143 votes in favour of the proposed resolution, with only nine votes against. 

The global extent of the support of Palestine being a potential full UN member would essentially acknowledge recognition of Palestine as a state. This had previously been vetoed by the US in the UN Security Council. The UN General Assembly urged the UN Security Council to “reconsider the matter favourably.”

Middle East Eye via Reuters, Maghrebi.org