Next week, the French Parliament will vote on a non-binding resolution to recognize Palestine as a state.
Sweden has already recognized Palestine. The parliaments of Britain, Ireland and Spain have already called upon their governments to recognize an independent Palestinian state. It has become a (hot) issue in Belgium.
The European parliament was set to do so yesterday for those of you (27/12/14) outside Pacific time zones west of the International Date Line, but that vote has been postponed to mid-December. The outcome of this vote is uncertain. But the issue is certain to come up again.
To anyone who has paid attention to issues like divorce, marriage equality or abortion (non-EU matters, unlike foreign affairs, it should be noted), this is only going to end one way: Most of Europe (EU or not, and remember that apart from Moldova, the Caucusus, Ukraine and Belarus, you only have Norway, Iceland and Switzerland that are not EU members - excluding microstates like Liectenstein and the Vatican). Whatever your opinion, this is an important developement. And to be clear, all of the countries will still recognize Israel and it's right to exist.
Join me beyond the Orange Line for the rest of my diary...
Now you make think that is a mistake or even wrong, you may think this is wonderful, but either way it is going to happen. Probably sooner rather than later.Germany is, rightly in my opinion, STFU, for obvious reasons. Apart from them, three of the next four biggest EU nations have already had parliamentary votes in favor of recognition. The odd one out is Italy, which has other issues to deal with and was also Germany's ally during the time Hitler murdered 6,000,000 Jews. It's probably better they keep out of it too. The sixth biggest member of the EU is Poland - a nation that has issues both when it come to Jews and when it comes to brown people, like, say, Arabs. Most of the smaller EU nations will follow suit soon after France or Britain actually follows through, or even if say Finland and Norway follow Sweden's lead.
Full disclosure: I am completely convinced that a two-state solution is the only way forward that let's both Israeli Jews and Palestinian Muslims and Christians live in their homelands in a way that they can achieve their potential. I also think Palestinian suicide bombers and Israeli settlements over the Green-line are anathema to a peaceful resolution of this conflict, and while there arecertainly moral differences between the two in the short term, in the long term both will lead to disgusting amounts of suffering to both peoples in the long term, whoever 'wins'.
That being said, please don't flame war. Be polite, don't HR unless it's 100% justifiable, and don't hijack the thread by talking about say a tomb in Hebron.
I have to go to a particular place to get wifi, but I'll be back in an hour.