Norway, Ireland and Spain want to recognise Palestine as a state. The status of the Mediterranean region, which has been disputed for decades, is at the heart of the Middle East conflict. In this respect, recognition is a symbolically significant step that other EU members may follow. The most important questions and answers.
What is Palestine?
The historical region of Palestine is much larger than the area now understood by it. In addition to the current state of Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, this also includes parts of Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. After centuries under a variety of rulers – including Israelites, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans and Arabs – Palestine was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire in 1516. After the First World War, Great Britain was awarded it as a mandated territory. Faced with the wave of Jewish immigration, which increased as a result of the Holocaust, and increasing conflicts with the Arabs, the British returned the mandate after the Second World War.
In 1947, the UN proposed dividing the area into a Jewish and a Palestinian state. While the Jews accepted the plan, the Arabs felt they were being taken advantage of and refused. On May 14, 1948, Israel declared itself independent. In the ensuing war, the Israelis captured almost half of the land earmarked for the Palestinian Arab state. Since then, the Palestinians have been fighting for the right to their own state.
What is the legal status of Palestine?
The Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) declared Palestine’s state independence in 1988 after the outbreak of the first Palestinian uprising (Intifada). The national territory should be the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, occupied by Israel since 1967, with East Jerusalem as the capital. Through the peace treaties signed with Israel in 1993, the Palestinians achieved partial autonomy in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Since 2003, there has been a roadmap for the path to a two-state solution with a state of Palestine that lives in peace with Israel. Nothing more has been achieved so far, especially since the Palestinians do not agree internally. In 2014 the peace negotiations finally failed.
Palestine has observer status at the United Nations and has been considered a “non-member state” since 2012, which is considered a preliminary step to full membership. The entity administered by the Palestinian Authority has since been called the “State of Palestine”. Whether it is really a state is controversial depending on the definition.
Who recognizes Palestine?
A clear majority of the 193 UN states: in addition to Russia and China, most of the states in Asia (excluding Japan), Africa and South America. In Europe, in addition to Iceland and Sweden, there are mainly Central and Eastern European states (which recognized them before 1989) and most Balkan countries. Norway, Ireland and Spain would be UN member states 144, 145 and 146 to take this step.
Why is Palestine not a UN member?
Because Israel doesn’t want it, and because the US, Israel’s most important ally, doesn’t want it either. Recognition requires the consent of at least nine of the 15 members of the UN Security Council. The US veto power has been stopping corresponding applications since 2011, most recently at the beginning of May. The official US view is that recognition can only come at the end of a solution to the Middle East conflict. Great Britain and France argue similarly. However, there are signs of a rethink in Western countries. Accordingly, recognition could possibly come earlier – as a lever for a solution.
What attitude does Germany take?
The federal government traditionally pays close attention to Israel’s interests. In her opinion, the recognition of Palestine must be preceded by direct negotiations between the conflicting parties and a peace plan.