Two countries of the European Union — Ireland and Spain, as well as Norway (which is not formally a member of the bloc, but is part of the European Economic Area and the European Free Trade Association), without synchronizing their actions with Brussels, amicably announced on May 22 the recognition of the state of Palestine. Officially, their decisions came into force on May 28.
This is a major breakthrough on the Middle East track. Earlier, nine EU member states took the same step. Eight of them — Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovakia — did it in 1988. However, at that time they had not yet joined the European Union. And in 2014, Sweden did so.
All of them recognize Palestine as a state in accordance with the 1967 borders, so that East Jerusalem turns out to be on the territory of this country.
Slovenia is next in line (the procedure for recognizing Palestine will be completed no later than June 13). Belgium and Portugal are ready to join. However, for objective reasons, specific terms are not publicized. Belgium is now presiding in the EU, and it is not in its hands to make such an individual decision before the end of its mandate. Meanwhile, in Portugal, parliamentary elections were held not so long ago, and the new government has just started its work. The turn will come to Palestine.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz called the decision by the three European countries “a perverse move that insults the victims of the October 7 Hamas attack”.
“Today I am sending a clear message. Israel will not overlook those who undermine its sovereignty and threaten its security”, he warned.
The Jewish state government “recalled ambassadors from Norway, Ireland and Spain for consultations”.
President Mahmoud Abbas, on the other hand, welcomed the decision of the trio of brave Europeans. He said it would cement “the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination”.
The Hamas movement (recognized as a terrorist organization by Israel, Canada, the US, Japan and the EU, banned in Jordan and Egypt) also welcomed it. “We call on countries around the world to recognize our legitimate national rights and support the struggle of the Palestinian people to liberate and stop the occupation of our land”, the group said in a statement.
Recall that on May 10, the UN General Assembly adopted a new Palestinian resolution. It called on the Security Council to “positively reconsider” the issue of Palestine’s full membership in the world organization. According to the charter, the Assembly cannot make such a decision on its own, without the SC. It now has permanent observer status at the UN.
“In favor” voted 143 countries, against — nine, abstained — 25. To be more specific, Germany, Austria, UK, Italy and Ukraine abstained. The U.S., Israel, Hungary and the Czech Republic voted against.
Now let’s look at why the EU is slowing down. In fact, there is nothing surprising about it — it always slows down. In words, Brussels supports (purely theoretically) the plan to create two states for two peoples, considering it the only possible way to achieve peace.
“This would not only be a recognition of a state, but also a signal of readiness to work to ensure that such a state exists in practice”, European diplomacy chief Josep Borrell said on May 10.
Back in January, the EU prepared a “road map” for the resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. European officials, among other things, insist on holding a preparatory peace conference with the participation of the EU, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the Arab League, the United States and the UN. The ultimate goal is the establishment of “an independent Palestinian state living side by side with Israel, in peace and security, with full normalization and substantial development of security and economic cooperation”. If one follows such a road, or rather a road map, it is quite possible to get lost.
The Israeli government condemned the EU initiative. After a meeting with the Europeans, Foreign Minister Katz was harsh: he proposed the creation of an artificial island in the Mediterranean Sea to “resettle Palestinians” there.
It is no secret that there is no unified approach in the European union. The leading countries — Germany and France — are in no hurry to officially recognize Palestine.
Paris, as always, is trying to find some kind of “golden mean”. President Emmanuel Macron said that such a step is not a taboo. France, by the way, was the only G7 country that supported the May 10 General Assembly resolution. Nevertheless, for now, the approach remains half-hearted: recognizing a Palestinian state is “a tool in the peace process that must be used at the right time”. When will that time come? Maybe after the Gaza Strip is finally turned into a scorched field?
If we’re talking about Berlin, it’s more complicated here. “Dove of Peace”, Ober-Diplomat Annalena Baerbock said that Germans are responsible for Israel’s security because “Nazi Germany destroyed millions of Jewish lives”. That’s on the one hand. And on the other, she expressed the hope that “sustainable security for Israel will eventually be guaranteed if the Palestinians become secure in their own state”. Take it any way you want….
A Foreign Ministry spokesman offered some clarification. Berlin, they say, “will support the creation of Palestinian institutions that will later assume state functions”, but “this state can only emerge after the political process is completed”. That is, when Israel decides to recognize Palestine.
I should add that the FRG acts as a key ally of Israel in the EU. Berlin issued ten times as many arms sales permits for Israelis in 2023 as it did the year before. This past November, the usually cautious and hesitant Chancellor Olaf Scholz said he did not think it was right to demand a ceasefire from Israel in the Gaza Strip because a humanitarian pause would only give Hamas militants a break.
In fact, both Berlin and Paris are waiting for a signal from across the ocean. However, the United States is unlikely in the foreseeable future to dare to take steps that could upset Israel.