Palestine welcomes recognition of statehood by UK, Canada, Australia

FILE: Little Girl Holding Palestinian Flag on Protest. (Pexels Photo)

By Anadolu, Philippine News Agency

ISTANBUL/RAMALLAH, Palestine – Palestine hailed on Sunday the official recognition of its statehood by several countries ahead of the UN General Assembly meetings, saying the move would protect the two-state solution and achieve peace.

In a statement, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry expressed gratitude to the UK, Canada, and Australia for their “courageous decisions” to officially recognize the state of Palestine, which came “in line with international law and legitimate UN resolutions.”

The ministry called the recognition “an acknowledgment of the just and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, and ensures the protection of the two-state solution from the continued crimes of genocide, starvation, displacement, and annexation” committed by Israel.

President Mahmoud Abbas also welcomed the Western recognition of statehood as “a crucial and necessary step on the path to achieving just and lasting peace, in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions.”

“The recognition of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, freedom, and independence will pave the way for the implementation of the two-state solution,” Abbas said in a statement carried by the official news agency Wafa.

Vice President Hussein al-Sheikh expressed gratitude for the three countries over their recognition, which he called “an international victory for justice, rights, and for those who suffer displacement and oppression.”

“A historic day in the lives of the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights. This is the fruit of your patience, steadfastness, perseverance, and sacrifices,” Sheikh said on the US social media company X.

The Palestinian group Hamas considered the recognition “an important step in affirming the right of the Palestinian people in their land and holy sites, and in establishing their independent state with Jerusalem as its capital.”

Hamas called for taking “practical measures” that will lead to “an immediate cessation of the brutal genocidal war against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip” and will confront “the plans of annexation and Judaization of the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.”

UN investigators recently concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, where nearly 65,300 people have been killed since October 2023.

Around three-quarters of UN member states already recognize Palestine, with Ireland, Spain, and Norway having formalized recognition last year.