With peace talks stalled, the "entire world" could recognise a Palestinian state within a year, a dovish Israeli cabinet minister warned Sunday, urging the resumption of negotiations. The comments from Industry and Trade Minister Benjamin Ben Eliezer come after Ecuador formally recognised Palestine as an independent state on Friday, following the lead of other South American countries.
Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia gave formal recognition earlier this month while Uruguay said it will do so early in the new year. "I would not be surprised if within a year the entire world, even the US, recognises a Palestinian state, then we will have to explain how this happened," Ben Eliezer told reporters ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting. Israel opposes any recognition of a Palestinian state, saying its establishment must be reached through negotiations and not through unilateral moves. But with the breakdown of peace talks, the Palestinians have said they are considering new diplomatic options, and welcomed the recognition from the Latin American nations. Direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians, the first for nearly two years, began in Washington on September 2.
Comments
Comments are closed.