Hamas Welcomes Recognition of Palestinian State, Prioritizes Ending Genocide

Illustration of the State of Palestine. (Source: Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

JAKARTA - The Palestinian militant group Hamas welcomed the recognition of the State of Palestine by several countries on Sunday, saying the priority now is to stop the genocide in the Gaza Strip.

The United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Portugal announced their recognition of the State of Palestine yesterday, citing the increasingly dire situation in the Gaza Strip and promoting a two-state solution.

"Any step to strengthen the legitimate rights of Palestine, especially a fully sovereign Palestinian state with its capital in Jerusalem and the right to self-determination, is a welcome step," Basem Naim, a senior member of Hamas' political office, told CNN, as quoted by September 22.

However, Naim added that this recognition must be "accompanied by practical steps on the ground to affirm these rights and thwart the Zionist plan to explicitly reject any Palestinian political entity."

"It must be emphasized that the highest priority now is to stop the genocide and ethnic cleansing in the Gaza Strip and end the humanitarian blockade on the territory," he concluded.

Sunday's recognition was applauded by Palestinians, with President Mahmoud Abbas saying it would help pave the way for "the State of Palestine to live side by side with the State of Israel in security, peace, and good neighborly relations," as quoted by Reuters.

He said recognizing the Palestinian people's right to self-determination, freedom, and independence would pave the way for the implementation of a two-state solution, allowing the State of Palestine to live side by side with the State of Israel in security, peace, and good neighborly relations.

President Abbas emphasized that this is an important and necessary step towards achieving a just and lasting peace in accordance with legitimate international resolutions, as quoted by WAFA.

Meanwhile, Israel itself reiterated its rejection of the recognition of the State of Palestine, saying it would only benefit the militant group Hamas.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the recognition of the State of Palestine by several countries, emphasizing that a Palestinian state will never be realized.

"I have a clear message to the leaders who recognized the Palestinian state after the horrific massacre on October 7: you are giving a great gift to terror," Netanyahu said in a video statement, as quoted by The Times of Israel.

"That will not happen," he continued.

"A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River," Netanyahu asserted.