• Home
• News
• World News

Recognizing a Palestinian state will help keep alive the peace process in the Middle East, Luxembourg’s prime minister told AFP as his country prepares to take the step next week.

Of the United Nations’ 193 member states, 147 already recognize a Palestinian state, but none of the Group of Seven major economies did so until now.

For the latest updates on the Israel-Palestine conflict, visit our dedicated page.

The Luxembourg Grand Duchy is among a raft of nations including Australia, Belgium, Canada, France and the United Kingdom that plan to join their ranks at a UN summit in New York on September 22.

“I would like the Israeli and Palestinian peoples to keep hope alive that one day they will be able to live in peace,” Prime Minister Luc Frieden said in an interview.

The recognition will be “a key moment in this process... an important step in a long march towards peace and stability in the region”, said the 62-year-old center-right leader, who will be in New York to represent his country.

Kicking off Monday, Saudi Arabia and France will co-chair UN meetings on the future of the Israeli and Palestinian two-state solution, which aims to see both sides existing alongside one another in peace.

The initiative has gathered momentum amid growing global protests at Israel’s actions in Gaza.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 64,964 people, according to figures from the territory’s health ministry that the UN considers reliable.

The humanitarian crisis triggered by Israel’s campaign and restrictions on aid have fueled widespread public anger in Europe and elsewhere.

A United Nations probe has accused Israel of committing “genocide” -- something Israel denies.

Last week, the General Assembly overwhelmingly adopted a text supporting a future Palestinian state, albeit without Hamas.

“We will see on Monday what the Arab countries have to say. The fact that they condemn Hamas is new.

Hamas must go and Arab countries must help us to achieve this,” Frieden said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted “there will be no Palestinian state” and his government maintains that recognizing Palestinian statehood would destabilize the Middle East and reward Hamas.

The United States, Israel’s main ally, has also opposed recognition and denied US visas to the Palestinian delegation to the UN.

“Everything we do is not against the Israeli people but is intended to stop the atrocities we are seeing in Gaza,” said Frieden.

Luxembourg, one of the European Union’s founding members, supports proposed EU sanctions against Israel including curbing trade ties, he added.

“If they don’t listen to us, unfortunately we will have to move towards sanctions,” he said of Netanyahu’s government.

With AFP.

Read more:

Israel army says will use ‘unprecedented force’ in Gaza City, urges residents to leave

Democratic-led US Senate resolution seeks recognition of Palestinian state

Macron says recognizing Palestinian state is ‘best way to isolate Hamas’