Kremlin reaffirms recognition of State of Palestine as a sovereign nation

05/30/2024 / By Belle Carter

The Russian government has reaffirmed its recognition of Palestinian statehood.

The State of Palestine as it is known today declared its independence on Nov. 15, 1988. This state claimed authority over the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip. By the end of the year, this fledgling state’s independence was recognized by 78 countries, including the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The Soviet Union’s successor state, the Russian Federation, has reaffirmed its recognition of Palestinian statehood.

“The USSR recognized the State of Palestine… This is absolutely in line with the relevant [United Nations] Security Council resolutions and the two-state solution approach,” Russian Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov told journalists. “We are the successors of the USSR and continue our consistent and transparent position on this.”

Currently, the State of Palestine is recognized as a sovereign state by 143 of the 193 UN member states, including China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa and Turkey.

Russia’s reaffirming the said recognition came right after Ireland, Norway and Spain confirmed that they too would formally recognize the Middle Eastern state. The three European nations’ move supports a “two-state solution” aimed at bringing peace to the Middle East and ending the escalating conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. On Tuesday, May 28, their respective governments simultaneously approved the declaration, meaning it has now officially come into effect. (Related: 3 More countries set to recognize State of Palestine on May 28, infuriating Israel.)

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said his country made the decision “to keep the miracle of peace alive.” Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, meanwhile, expressed disappointment with Israel. “It is regrettable that the Israeli government shows no signs of engaging constructively,” he said.

For his part, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said: “It is the only way to realize the solution that we all recognize as the only possible one to achieve a future of peace: that of a Palestinian state that coexists alongside the state of Israel in peace and security.”

This infuriated Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has roundly rejected calls for a two-state solution and the possibility of a Palestinian state in territories occupied by Israel since 1967.

U.S.: It is premature to recognize Palestine as a state

The United States under President Joe Biden opposed the “unilateral recognition” of a Palestinian state. The Biden administration insisted that recognizing a Palestinian state was premature and must be the result of direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

“The president is a strong supporter of a two-state solution and has been throughout his career. He believes a Palestinian state should be realized through direct negotiations between the parties, not through unilateral recognition,” National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said.

Washington also vetoed a recent UN Security Council bid to recognize the State of Palestine, saying that recognition could only come through negotiations that take into account Israel’s security interests.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz ordered the immediate recall of its ambassadors to the three countries and said that “Israel will not hold back against those who undermine its sovereignty and endanger its security.” He claimed that even after Hamas carried out the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, Ireland, Norway and Spain still “chose to give a reward to Hamas and Iran and recognize a Palestinian state.”

Furthermore, Israel National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said in a statement that the countries that recognized a Palestinian state want to give a reward to the kidnappers of the female observers and their many supporters in Gaza. “Hamas must be totally annihilated not rewarded,” he said.

Netanyahu’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich also stated that Israel should approve three new settlements in the occupied West Bank, one for each country that recognized a Palestinian state, and cut funding for the Palestinian Authority, which could end up ruling a future state.

Visit IsraelCollapse.com for more stories on the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine.

Watch the video below that talks about the growing number of nations wanting to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state.

This video is from the Maverick News channel on Brighteon.com.