French Parliament calls on government to recognize Palestinian state

(Baonghean.vn) - On Tuesday, December 2, with 339 votes in favor and 151 votes against, the National Assembly passed a resolution calling on the French government to recognize the state of Palestine. The resolution was proposed based on the advocacy of the Socialist Party. However, it is only a recommendation and is not binding on the government.

Socialist Party lawmakers applaud after the Palestinian resolution was passed by parliament on Tuesday, December 2. Photo: Dominique Faget.

The resolution argues that the recognition of a Palestinian state alongside Israel is a “peaceful solution for two states”, something France and the European Union have been pushing for. The text highlights the “failure of all attempts to resume the peace process” between Israel and Palestine since 1991 and reports on “ongoing illegal settlements in the Palestinian territories”. Finally, the resolution declares “the urgent need to achieve a final solution to the conflict” by establishing a Palestinian state alongside the state of Israel “based on the 1967 provisions with Jerusalem as the capital of both states”.

In the talks, which began last Friday, Bruno Le Roux, head of the Socialist Party, stressed the need for a solution to the “deadlock” on the ground: the encroachment is ongoing every day, the negotiations continue to fail and the violence continues to escalate. Bruno Le Roux also received support from the Communist Party and the French environmental party.

However, UDI leader Jean-Christophe Lagarde said he would not vote for the resolution on Palestine. Some even said that “the Hamas government is equivalent to Daesh and Al-Qaeda”. The UMP also did not hesitate to vote for the Palestine resolution, as recommended by former President Nicolas Sarkozy. “I do not like resolutions that do not have any impact, that do not change anything,” said Laurent Wauquiez, vice-president of the UMP. UMP leader Christan Jacob stressed that “recognition of the Palestinian state is not within the competence of parliament” and that this would only be done after “a peace agreement” was reached.

In response to the vote, the Israeli Embassy in France accused lawmakers of “overthinking the possibility of reaching a peace agreement.” The Palestinian Authority welcomed the adoption of the resolution. Sweden recognized Palestine as a state in late October, in accordance with international law. Currently, 135 countries around the world recognize Palestine as an independent state.

Chu Thanh -according to LeMonde 2/12