More from the Irish FM
Ireland’s foreign minister Micheal Martin says despite the international community – including the EU – having discussed support for a two-state solution for decades, “we are no nearer to actually getting to that desired end state”.
Speaking at a media conference in Brussels with his Spanish and Norwegian counterparts, he said some have framed their decision to recognise the state of Palestine as a “reward for terror”, adding, “nothing could be further from the truth”.
“We have recognised both the State of Israel and the State of Palestine precisely because we want to see a future of normalised relations between the two peoples” he continued.
He said his country seeks a solution in which occupation, terrorism, dispossession and displacement, “have no role” and are “replaced by a political framework in which the parties can pursue their political aims”.
“There can be no military solution to this conflict. And I refute absolutely any group using violence or terrorism to try and eliminate the State of Israel or to eliminate the State of Palestine as an idea or as a reality,” he said.
‘It’s the right time’ to recognise a Palestinian state: Norway’s FM
Norway’s Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide says his country recognises the state of Palestine “because it’s the right thing to do, but even more importantly because it’s the right time to do it”.
Speaking at a news conference in Brussels with his Spanish and Irish counterparts, he said, “For many years, we and so many other countries were expecting to recognise at the end of a peace process.
“But then a few years ago, we realised that we actually needed to think outside the box”, he said, adding that recognition needed to come at a time that sent “a strong signal”.
“Some people might think it sounds paradoxical to talk about Tuesday’s solution [recognition of the state of Palestine] in the midst of war,” he said.
“Right now, we have extreme violence in Gaza. We have Israelis living in fear of terrorism and rocket attacks, and we have settler violence and the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank,” he continued.
“We are now seeing a cycle of violence. This is a low point in the long and sad history of a non-solution to the Israel-Palestine problem. “I think what we’re giving now is new software. It’s a 2.0 to that vision where earlier recognition of Palestine is one of the several pieces of the big puzzle of how to bring peace to the Middle East,” he said.
'Both-sideism' is a defense mechanism, result of otherwise automatically be labeled anti-semitic when you don't. It's the same as having to condemn the Oct 7 attacks every time you condemn Israeli war crimes. It's starting to reek of All Lives Matter nonsense when trying to fix police brutality against African Americans. It's implied that Israel should be safe as well, and will be safer once the continuous provocations and daily attacks and abuses in the West Bank end.
Language used by three FMs shows ‘both-sideism’ on Israel-Palestine conflict: Expert
Mohammad Elmasry, media studies professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, says he is concerned by the language used by the foreign ministers of Ireland, Spain and Norway.
“I was really taken aback by some of the language used. It almost seemed they were adopting the US plan. You could take these from the Antony Blinken and Joe Biden school of international relations. They are talking about the Saudi-Israeli normalisation agreement, which bypasses the Palestinians altogether. It is one reason why we ended up at October 7 [attacks].”
He also pointed at the “both-sideism” in the speeches wherein they condemned the Israeli violence but at the same time also condemned “Palestinian violence and terrorism”. “So, there is a tendency to want to protect yourself against potential criticism.”
Elmasry said the ministers’ emphasis on Saudi-Israeli normalisation and the future of the PA is problematic.
“When they talk about the revitalisation of the Palestinian Authority, this is what the Biden administration keeps referring to. PA is first of all a subcontractor for Israeli occupation and deeply unpopular among Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza,” he said.
Elmasry said it was paradoxical that they talked about Palestinians’ self-determination without listening to what they want in terms of leadership.
“And then they talked about the two-state solution, which is an absolute impossibility given that more than 700,000 Israeli settlers live on Palestinian land in more than 200 settlements and outposts, all of which are illegal,” he said.
“The two-state solution was rendered impossible by Israel quite intentionally. So, this is very out of touch. If you are Palestinian listening to this, you might be discouraged by some of the languages.”
He, however, said, in the long run, these steps will help the Palestinian cause.
“I want to be clear, this could be significant as part of a larger programme of pressure that is being applied on Israel. An Israeli diplomat earlier said a diplomatic tsunami is being hurled at Israel. I do think that over the long term this kind of thing, even though it’s symbolic, can be significant,” Elmasry said.
Belgium says committed to PA reforms
Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib has called the Palestinian Authority a “partner for peace” and expressed readiness to help with efforts to reform the organisation to lead a future Palestinian state.
“Belgium is working for a recognition with rights and freedoms for Palestinians,” she wrote in a post on X after a meeting with PA Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa.
The Palestinian Authority is a partner for peace. We remain ready to contribute to reforms.
I have conveyed to the Prime Minister our commitment to a two-state solution.
Belgium is working for a recognition with rights and freedoms for Palestinians. pic.twitter.com/K4V8YIZ9Eg
— Hadja Lahbib (@hadjalahbib) May 27, 2024
Will the Palestinians get a say in those reforms? They didn't have a say when the PA announced a new PM.
https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/real-pa-reform-requires-more-just-new-prime-minister
Polls end of Februari say 60% of Palestinians want to dissolve the PA. They have no trust in the PA. The PA has been a partner of Israel for too long. Representing Israeli needs in the West Bank, not those of Palestinians.
Reform is necessary, but it has to be done by the Palestinians. Not by the US nor Europe. Trust in the US and also the EU is at an all time low.
