BRUSSELS: Following similar moves by the UK, France, and Canada, another European Union member state—Malta—has expressed conditional readiness to recognize Palestine as an independent state.
Malta’s Prime Minister Robert Abela announced that his country may recognize Palestine as a state during the upcoming United Nations General Assembly session in September, provided certain diplomatic conditions are met.
This comes a day after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney declared that Canada will formally recognize the State of Palestine at the same UN session.
The growing international momentum signals increasing support for Palestinian statehood amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
Israel, on the other hand, condemned Canada, Britain and France's announcement of the recognition of the Palestinian state, calling it a reward for the Palestinian resistance organization Hamas, saying the announcement would damage ceasefire and hostage relief efforts.
White House has stated that former U.S. President Donald Trump views the recognition of a Palestinian state as a reward for Hamas — a move he believes should not be made.
In response to growing international support for Palestinian statehood, a White House spokesperson said, “President Trump believes recognizing a Palestinian state under current circumstances would be tantamount to rewarding Hamas — and that’s a reward they do not deserve.”
