- Join the France 24 community here
- Log in
Latest update: 06/12/2010
- Argentina - Brazil - Israeli-Palestinian conflict - Uruguay
Israel ‘regrets’ Argentina’s recognition of an independent Palestine
Argentina and Uruguay announced Monday they were joining Brazil in recognizing Palestine as an independent state on the basis of the country’s 1967 borders. Israel and the US said they regret the decision.
By News Wires (text)
AFP - Argentina and Uruguay said Monday they were joining Brazil in recognizing an independent Palestinian state, earning an immediate sharp rebuke from Israel and causing unease in the United States.
Israel called the announcement by Buenos Aires "regrettable" and said it went against an Israeli-Palestinian agreement that such a state should only be recognized with Israeli approval.
That echoed criticism Israel made after Brazil started the South American movement on Friday by saying it recognized a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders, before the Six Day War in which Israel seized Gaza and the West Bank.
Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas reached out to the governments as part of an effort to win UN recognition of a Palestinian state.
His strategy followed the suspension of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations because of Israel's renewed construction of settlements on Palestinian land after a temporary ban.
"The Argentine government recognizes Palestine as a free and independent state within the borders defined in 1967," Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman said, reading a letter sent by Argentine President Cristina Kirchner wrote to Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas.
Timerman said the recognition reflected a general consensus among members of Mercosur, the South American trade bloc.
Uruguay announced soon afterward it will recognize a Palestinian state next year.
"Uruguay will surely follow the same path as Argentina in 2011," deputy foreign minister Roberto Conde told AFP.
"We are working towards opening a diplomatic representation in Palestine, most likely in Ramallah," he said.
Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay all make up Mercosur. Venezuela's membership is pending.
Israeli foreign ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor told AFP: "This regrettable decision will not help at all to change the situation between Israel and the Palestinians."
But Argentina said it was making the move based on a "deep desire to see a definitive advance in the negotiation process leading to the establishment of a just and durable peace in the Middle East," according to Timerman.
The Palestinian ambassador in Argentina reacted with "joy and enthusiasm" to the announcement and said it expected other South American countries to follow suit.
Israel reacted with "sadness and disappointment" to Brazil's declaration on the issue, saying it breached a 1995 agreement it had with the Palestinian Authority that any Palestinian state should only come about through negotiations with it.
US lawmakers have also called Brazil's decision "severely misguided" and "regrettable."
Western countries have agreed that any definition of a Palestinian state required Israeli approval. The United States has consistently protected Israel's position in the UN Security Council.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who had sought a mediator role in the Israeli-Palestinian situation, made his decision shortly before he is to stand down on January 1 next year.
His protegee and former cabinet chief, Dilma Rousseff, has been elected to take over from him. She has pledged to pursue his policies.
The announcements by Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay come as peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians teeter on the brink of collapse following the end of the temporary ban on Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Monday he did "not see any reason" to extend the settlement freeze.
Abbas has said the Palestinian side will not return to negotiations while Israel continues to build on land the Palestinians want for their state.
He has repeatedly said he would explore other options if the peace talks collapse -- including asking for UN recognition of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders.
Related Content
‘Darth Vader’ demands free land from Ukrainian government
Browse all editions
FRANCE 24 PARTNERS
Comments (8)
Couldn't Agree More
I could not agree more on the decision tooking by the three South American countries. I think it is the right decision and I don't there will be any peace took proposed by Israel will work on the Palestian people. I hope UN will make its decision as soon as possible before more civilian gets killed. I hope US public will understand and see what Israel is doing to Palestian totally wrong and they have breached many international laws which they haven't been presecuted for. If Israel says that such a state should only be recognized with Israeli approval, it means that Israel views Palestin as a colony.
US should recognize
US should recognize Palestine, enough blood has been sehd by Israeli atrocities
let the Palestinians free
its been a while since israel has been opressing the Palestine, but no matter how the opressor may try they wont put down the spirit of freedom,,, so give up Israel, we love you,,,
A movement that needs momentum!
This is the kind of action the international community needs to take!
It is an action focused in peace and not in ideology, economic or prejudice oriented interests!
independent Palestine
Where are the saviors of the Palestine and not lining up to recognize it.
Where is Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan,…. and the rest of the hypocrites.
For years Moslem nations cursed at Israel and at the west yet with the release of the Wikileakes documents we now know that Palestine cause is not on the radar but maintaining the bloody grip on their people is and another Arab war with Iran. These nations Using the incompetent self defeating Palestinian administration to keep themselves relevant and the Palestinian population bleeding to derail any final solution.
Palestine, None of them are your friend, you are becoming another people in Reservation.
Good for Argentina!
As an American citizen, I believe it is in our best interests (America's), to jump off of the Israeli "bandwagon" and begin using a more objective approach to the Israeli/Palestinian border conflicts. The boundaries laid out for a Palestinian statehood have been adopted for decades by the UN. Yet, the US and Israel refuse to acknowledge it. Until Palestinians have their own country as defined by a sanctioned boundary, there will never be peace in the Middle East..period!
Jew and Arabs
Jews and Arabs have been killing each other for the past 60 years.They will continue to do so for the next 100s of years.
Forget peace in the region. Neither Jews no Muslems there have any common sense
Thoughtless
The actions of Brasil, Uruguay, and Argentina are ridiculous.
How would they like it if France were to recognize Paraguay with borders that include Brasil's Rio Grande de Sol, Argentina's Missiones, and Ururguay's Concordia provinces?
This, of course, omits the fact that the 1967 line was never a border, but only a cease-fire line to modified by permanent status negotiations.
Post new comment