Countries Have Recognized Palestinian Independence

By Saed Bannoura, 28 August 2011

A total of 124 countries, out of 193 UN member countries, have officially declared recognition of Palestine, and the Palestinian UN move this September, to seek recognition of statehood and a full UN membership.

Nine of the 124 countries are among the top ten most populated countries in the World, the Maan News Agency reported.

Palestinian sources reported that Palestine is gaining momentum is international recognition, and the UN move, especially after the Spanish Foreign Minister, Trinidad Jimenez, recently called on the European Countries to support the Palestinian move. Israel was angered by the recent statement, and considered it alarming.

Recently, both Spanish and Belgium Parliaments declared support to the Palestinian UN move.

Maan News stated that Palestinian Foreign Minister, Riyad Al-Maliki, is currently on a tour in several African countries, after he concluded a tour in a number of countries in South and Central America, to garner their support.

Several envoys, dispatched by President Mahmoud Abbas, toured a number of countries that could play an essential role in aiding the Palestinians at the United Nations.

Yet, the United States is following the lead of Israel in opposing the Palestinian move, and is waving its veto power to topple it.

The US claims statehood can only be achieved through negotiations, but the ongoing Israeli violations, construction and expansion of settlements, especially in Jerusalem, and its rejection to recognize the legitimate Palestine rights to liberation and independence, cast legitimate doubts on Israel’s intention to achieve a just and a comprehensive peace agreement with the Palestinians.

Israel is trying to seek full normalization with the Arab world before a final peace agreement is reached with Israel.

In 2002, the Arab League held a summit in Beirut, headed by then Crown Prince, current King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, and presented the Arab Peace Initiative. The same initiative was endorsed, one again, during the Riyadh Summit of the Arab League in 2007.

The initiative offered full normalization between the entire Arab World and Israel, in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian and Arab territories occupied by Israel in 1967; this includes occupied East Jerusalem, the capital of the future Palestinian State.