Palestinian Envoy For The United Nations Welcomes 3 European Countries To Admit Palestine

JAKARTA - The Palestinian Envoy for the United Nations (UN) Riyad Mansour, welcomed the decision of Ireland, Norway and Spain to recognize the Palestinian state.

"This is a great moment when we get together today, that we are receiving very positive news from Europe that Spain, Ireland and Norway," Mansour told reporters.

"Today it is declaring that they will recognize the Palestinian state on the 28th of this month," he said.

The envoy expressed hope that the wave of European recognition for the Palestinian state would be followed by other countries.

"Palestinian countries deserve to be fully member states at the United Nations," said Mansour.

He noted substantial support for Palestinian recognition by the majority of UN General Assembly members and the UN Security Council.

"Support for the Palestinian state, his recognition at the United Nations and his recognition gained momentum after what we did at the Security Council and what we did at the General Assembly," he said.

He said the population force panicked in the face of the wave, and Israel headed in the wrong direction by challenging everyone and instead of listening to strong international voices.

Mansour took pictures with permanent UN representatives for Norway, Ireland and Spain after speaking to reporters.

The announcement from the three European countries comes as Israel continues its staged attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023 despite UN Security Council resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire.

Palestine has been recognized by eight European countries, namely Bulgaria, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Sweden, and the Greek Cypriot government.

More than 35,700 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and nearly 80,000 others have been injured since October following attacks carried out by Palestinians, Hamas.

More than seven months after Israel's war, much of Gaza's territory was destroyed by a blockade that paralyzed food services, clean water, and medicines.

Israel at the International Court (ICJ) is accused of committing genocide.

It was ICJ that ordered Israel to ensure that its troops did not commit genocide and to take action to ensure humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza.