Malta says it will recognize the state of Palestine, joining France and possibly Britain
Christopher Cutajar, the permanent secretary at Malta's Foreign Ministry, made the announcement at the U.N. General Assembly's meeting on a two-state solution to the conflict which has been extended to a third day because of the high number of countries wanting to speak.
Cutajar said Malta has long supported self-determination for the Palestinian people, and 'as responsible actors, we have a duty to work to translate the concept of a two-state solution from theory into practice.'
'It is for this reason that the government of Malta has taken the principled decision to formally recognize the state of Palestine at the upcoming U.N. General Assembly in September,' he said.
Malta says it wants a 'lasting peace' in Mideast
Malta's Prime Minister Robert Abela earlier announced the decision by his country, a former British colony, to recognize a Palestinian state on Facebook, saying it is part of the nation's efforts 'for a lasting peace in the Middle East.'
The Mediterranean island nation and European Union member will join more than 145 countries, including over a dozen European nations, in recognizing the state of Palestine.
French President Emmanuel Macron announced ahead of this week's meeting that his country will recognize the state of Palestine at the annual gathering of world leaders at the 193-member General Assembly which starts Sept. 23.
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced Tuesday that Britain would recognize the state of Palestine before September's meeting, but would refrain if Israel agrees to a ceasefire and long-term peace process in the next eight weeks.
France and Britain are the biggest Western powers and the only two members of the Group of Seven major industrialized nations to make such a pledge. Israel opposes a two-state solution and is boycotting the meeting along with its closest ally, the United States.
Israel's U.N. ambassador, Danny Danon, on Tuesday sharply criticized about 125 countries participating in the conference and new recognitions of a Palestinian state, saying 'there are those in the world who fight terrorists and extremist forces and then there are those who turn a blind eye to them or resort to appeasement.'
'While our hostages are languishing in Hamas terror tunnels in Gaza, these countries choose to engage in hollow statements instead of investing their efforts in their release,' Danon said. 'This is hypocrisy and a waste of time that legitimizes terrorism and distances any chance of regional progress.'
Malta's Cutajar countered that 'recognition is not merely symbolic – it is a concrete step towards the realization of a just and lasting peace.'
Quick action is urged
High-level representatives at the U.N. conference on Tuesday urged Israel to commit to a Palestinian state and gave 'unwavering support' to a two-state solution, and they urged all countries that haven't recognized the state of Palestine to do so quickly.
The seven-page 'New York Declaration' sets out a phased plan to end the Israel-Palestinian conflict and the ongoing war in Gaza. The plan would culminate with an independent, demilitarized Palestine living side by side peacefully with Israel, and their eventual integration into the wider Mideast region.
A separate one-page statement titled the 'New York Call' approved late Tuesday by 15 Western nations says they have recognized, 'expressed or express the willingness or the positive consideration … to recognize the state of Palestine, as an essential step towards the two-state solution, and invite all countries that have not done so to join this call.'
It included six that have recognized the state of Palestine and nine others including Malta, Andorra, Australia, Canada, Finland, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Portugal and San Marino.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Star
an hour ago
- Toronto Star
Philippines blames China for ship collision in disputed South China Sea
MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine military on Tuesday blamed China for the collision of two Chinese navy and coast guard ships while trying to drive the Philippine coast guard and fishermen from a disputed shoal in the South China Sea. It said it would assess how to respond to Beijing's use of military force against civilians. Philippine authorities said Monday's accidental collision resulted in visibly heavy damages to the Chinese coast guard and navy ships and possible injuries.
an hour ago
Canada alone in G7 with call for prisoner release as Armenia, Azerbaijan in peace talks
The federal government is calling for the release of Armenian detainees and prisoners of war in Azerbaijan as it praised the road to peace paved by a White House-brokered meeting last week between the two countries locked in decades of conflict. By initialling the peace agreement and both acknowledging Armenia and Azerbaijan sovereignty and territorial integrity, these countries have taken important steps toward a just and durable peace for the people of this region, said Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand in a statement posted on social media Sunday night. However, she also noted lingering issues, including the release of all Armenian detainees and prisoners of war, the safe and dignified right of return of Armenian civilians and the preservation of cultural heritage. Anand also reaffirmed Canada's commitment to a negotiated political solution over the fate of Nagorno-Karabakh. The mountainous region is internationally recognized as Azerbaijan but was inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians until two years ago, and ruled by a de-facto ethnic Armenian government for about three decades. Enlarge image (new window) Minister of Foreign Affairs Anita Anand posted a statement on Sunday calling for the release of prisoners. Photo: The Canadian Press / Sean Kilpatrick Armenia and Azerbaijan fought two major wars over the territory since the early '90s. The latter ultimately prevailed in a military offensive in September 2023 that saw the exodus of some 120,000 ethnic Armenians to Armenia, a move described as ethnic cleansing by Armenia at the time, as well as others such as Canadian Ambassador to the United Nations Bob Rae and the NGO Freedom House in a report (new window) last year. Agreement sidesteps prisoner issue Armenia's Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev met at the Oval Office with U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday, where they signed a peace agreement which would boost bilateral economic ties and move them toward a full normalization of their relations, if it holds. On Monday, the two countries published the 17 articles of the agreement, which largely focus on respecting each other's territorial integrity. Armenian media outlets have been documenting the imprisonment and trials of Armenian prisoners of war in the Azerbaijan justice system, including those of soldiers who fought in a 44-day war over Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020, and the political leadership of the enclave's former de-facto republic. Published statements by Canada's G7 allies make no mention of detainees or the right of return of Nagorno-Karabakh's former inhabitants to their homes, though a joint multi-country declaration to the UN Human Rights Council raised the refugees' right of return in October 2023 (new window) , signed at the time by a list of nations including Canada, France and the U.S. Those are issues that can't be swept under the rug. They're really important, said Kyle Matthews, executive director of the Montreal Institute for Global Security think-tank. The Armenian government is taking a risk here and it needs to find the right balance so that the Armenian population will support [the agreement]. He said it is possible the remaining G7 nations are too consumed by the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war to play close attention to the South Caucasus deal. But he hopes that European countries are bringing up these issues privately. Enlarge image (new window) Refugees, such as Albert Petrosyan seen here, fled the mountainous enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. The Canadian government is advocating for the safe right to return of some 120,000 ethnic Armenians. Photo: Reuters / Irakli Gedenidze Europe has links to the Caucasus region. A civilian EU mission in Armenia, which includes a Canadian delegate, has been patrolling the border area between Armenia and Azerbaijan since 2023. And oil-rich Azerbaijan is a supplier to the EU, with British gas giant BP a major investor. Trump asked Armenia PM if prisoners 'important' Pashinyan himself has said as recently as March that he brings up the plight of prisoners in all negotiations with Azerbaijan. A snippet of footage from the Oval Office meeting on Friday has been making rounds on social media, showing Trump asking the Armenian prime minister about 23 Christians that are being held in Azerbaijan. The U.S. president then says he's going to ask Azerbaijan to release them. That's important if he could, right? he asks, as Pashinyan nods. The agreement grants the U.S. exclusive development rights to a strategic transit corridor on Armenia's territory. It would link Azerbaijan to the autonomous exclave of Nakhchivan which also borders Turkey, a traditional Azerbaijan ally. Azerbaijan has made claims to the corridor for years, predating the latest rounds of hostilities. But the agreement says it will remain part of Armenia, with the land leased out to the U.S. Raffy Boudjikanian (new window) · CBC News · Senior reporter Raffy Boudjikanian is a senior reporter with the CBC's Parliamentary Bureau in Ottawa. He has also worked in Edmonton, Calgary and Montreal for the public broadcaster.
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
China cuts ties with Czech President Petr Pavel over his meeting with the Dalai Lama
PRAGUE (AP) — China's government said Tuesday that it has suspended all ties with Czech President Petr Pavel over his recent meeting with the Dalai Lama. Pavel met with the Tibetan leader on July 27 to congratulate him on his 90th birthday during his private trip to India. The Dalai Lama has been living in exile in the Himalayan town of Dharamshala since fleeing Chinese rule in Tibet in 1959. This meeting 'seriously contravenes the political commitment made by the Czech government to the Chinese government, and harms China's sovereignty and territorial integrity,' said a statement by a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman that was released by the Chinese Embassy in Prague. 'China strongly deplores and firmly opposes this, and has lodged serious protests with the Czech side. In light of the severity of Pavel's provocative action, China decides to cease all engagement with him.' The Czech presidential office hasn't immediately responded to that announcement. The Czech presidency is a largely ceremonial but prestigious post. China is maintaining ties with the Czech government as a whole. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. China views the Dalai Lama as a separatist. In exile, the Dalai Lama has managed to build a community that's kept the Tibetan culture and identity alive and has become one of the world's most recognizable figures while leading a Tibetan diaspora through their struggle for autonomy, and opposition of China's control of Tibet. Late Czech President Vaclav Havel was a friend of the Dalai Lama.
