Luxembourg to recognise Palestinian state
Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Luc Frieden has said the country will join several other European nations which plan to recognise a Palestinian state during the UN General Assembly later this month.
Speaking to reporters, Frieden said “the situation on the ground has deteriorated considerably in recent months.
“A movement is now emerging in Europe and around the world to demonstrate that the two-state solution is still relevant,” Frieden added. “That is why the Luxembourg government intends to join those who recognise the State of Palestine at next week’s conference on the two-state solution.”
Countries including the UK, Australia, Canada and Belgium have said they plan to recognise a Palestinian state at the meeting, while Luxembourg is among several European countries which have been more critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg’s former long-serving foreign minister who stepped down in 2023, said other than Ireland and Spain, EU member states “didn’t give a f***” about Palestinian statehood.
Sweden ‘deeply critical’ of Israeli offensive on Gaza City
Sweden has joined the chorus of international condemnation of Israel’s expansion of its ground offensive in Gaza City.
In a post on X, Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said her government was “deeply critical of the intensified military offensive in Gaza that is now being carried out”.
“The offensive exacerbates an already catastrophic humanitarian situation, and leads to widespread forced displacements of the civilian population, which violates international law,” she said.
She said the offensive made it even more urgent to ratchet up pressure on Israel, for the EU to progress with proposals to freeze the trade component of the association agreement between the bloc and Israel, and to impose sanctions against “extremist Israeli ministers”.
Germany slams Israel’s ground offensive on Gaza City as ‘completely wrong’
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has condemned Israel’s escalation of its offensive on Gaza City as “a step in the completely wrong direction”.
“We reject this and have made this clear to the Israeli government,” he said during a news briefing.
Wadephul appealed to the Israeli government to instead return “to the path of negotiations for a ceasefire and an agreement” on the release of captives held in Gaza.
