"We are betting on increasing the number of countries recognizing Palestine"
Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands may soon officially recognize the State of Palestine. This was stated in an interview with Izvestia by the Palestinian Ambassador to Austria and permanent observer to international organizations in Vienna, Salah Abdel Shafi. According to him, the example of France has intensified the discussion of this step in a number of European capitals. Meanwhile, Washington, using its veto power in the Security Council, is blocking Ramallah's attempts to gain full membership in the UN. The diplomat also spoke about how the Palestinian Authority will receive the $300 million allocated by the World Bank to the fund for the support of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
"We consider the recognition of France to be an important breakthrough"
— An international conference on the Middle East settlement and prospects for the recognition of a Palestinian state was recently held at the UN in New York. What concrete steps do you expect from the participating countries of this conference to end the war in the Gaza Strip, as well as to provide urgent humanitarian assistance?
— We don't need to reinvent the wheel to understand what is necessary to end the war. Either the international community will move from words to deeds and achieve an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire while delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, or everything will remain as it is: influential countries such as the United States and Germany will continue to supply Israel with weapons and provide it with political and diplomatic support. This is a complete contradiction. On the one hand, we hear regret about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, and on the other, there is de facto support for Israel.
The United Nations has already adopted a number of resolutions, both by the General Assembly and the Security Council, demanding an immediate ceasefire and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. Israel ignores them, and Western countries do nothing to force it to comply with these decisions. This is the impasse over the ceasefire in Gaza.
— Saudi Arabia has secured the World Bank's agreement to allocate $300 million to the fund for the support of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Are there specific delivery mechanisms for these funds?
— Absolutely. The World Bank cooperates with the Palestinian National Authority and has been working in the Palestinian territories for decades. There are well-established mechanisms for delivering aid to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The World Bank has representative offices and employees in Palestine. Accordingly, these mechanisms exist and can be used.
— At the political level, is Palestine currently taking any new steps to gain full membership in the United Nations and other international organizations?
— In order for a state to become a full member of the United Nations, a recommendation from the Security Council is required. The United States blocks this process, usually using the right of veto. This is the main problem.
French President Emmanuel Macron during a speech at the 79th session of the UN General Assembly
Now we are betting on increasing the number of countries recognizing Palestine. French President Emmanuel Macron officially announced that in September, at the UN General Assembly, France recognizes the State of Palestine. We hope that other Western countries, both inside and outside the EU, will follow France: Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and others.
On July 24, French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to recognize Palestine.
"I will make this solemn statement at the United Nations General Assembly in September," he wrote on the social network X.
He noted that this would contribute to ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip, as well as providing comprehensive assistance to local residents.
Later, on July 29, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer also announced his readiness to recognize Palestine at the UN General Assembly.
Such a move would put Washington in a difficult position, as the United States would remain the only country opposed to Palestinian membership in the United Nations. We consider the recognition of France to be an important breakthrough. France is an influential country, a permanent member of the Security Council. Its decision may encourage other States to follow the same path and recognize Palestine.
"The West Bank and the Gaza Strip are a single space"
— Are there any concrete signals from other European countries about the possible recognition of Palestine?
— The idea of recognizing the State of Palestine is becoming more widely accepted in the world. We expect that at least the British government will have a clear position in this direction. This also applies to Canada. In addition, we expect that other European Union countries such as Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands will soon follow France's example. All of them can recognize the State of Palestine.
It should be understood that even though Palestine is not a full member of the United Nations and remains an observer state, it already has full membership in many international organizations.
Here in Vienna, we are a full member of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Interpol, UNESCO and a participant in dozens of international agreements and conventions. We will continue to move along this path — to join new international organizations and agreements — until Palestine becomes a full member of the United Nations.
— Do you support the idea of sending international forces to the Gaza Strip and the West Bank?
— We insist that the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are a single geographical and political space. We are categorically against any separation of these two territories. We need a single political authority and a single Palestinian Government governing both regions.
We have always demanded that all Palestinian territories, without exception — including East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank — be under international protection. It's not just about the genocide in Gaza. There are daily attacks by Jewish settlers in the West Bank, and the systematic seizure of Palestinian land by Israel continues. Therefore, yes, we need international protection and we advocate the deployment of international troops in all Palestinian territories.
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