More European countries are recognizing “Palestine,” but Israel says this is counterproductive to any possibility of peace. 

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor lashed out at Europe for its support of the non-existent Palestinian State.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly on Monday, Prosor expressed fury at several European governments for “failing us [Israel] again,” singling out Sweden’s “historic mistake” of recognizing the so-called state of Palestine in October.

European parliaments voting to recognize Palestine are “giving the Palestinians exactly what they want – statehood without peace,” Prosor was quoted by AFP as saying.

“By handing them a state on a silver platter, you are rewarding unilateral actions and taking away any incentive for the Palestinians to negotiate or compromise or renounce violence.”

Ignoring the Rest of the World

“The world’s unrelenting focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an injustice to tens of millions of victims of tyranny and terrorism in the Middle East,” Prosor stated. “As we speak, Yazidis, Bahai, Kurds, Christians and Muslims are being executed and expelled by radical extremists at a rate of 1,000 people per month.”

“How many resolutions did you pass last week to address this crisis? And how many special sessions did you call for? The answer is zero. What does this say about international concern for human life? Not much, but it speaks volumes about the hypocrisy of the international community,” Prosor accused.

“Yes, continue to co-sponsor one-sided resolutions. Yes, continue to encourage unilateral actions. And yes, by all means, prematurely recognize a Palestinian state. This is clearly been a resounding success that has brought us that much closer to peace,” Prosor stated sarcastically earlier this month.

“It is unfortunate that the Swedish government chose to adopt a declarative measure that can cause much damage and bring no benefit. The Swedish government must understand that relations in the Middle East are more complex than one of Ikea’s flat-pack pieces of furniture, and would do well to act with greater sensitivity and responsibility,” Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman stated regarding the Swedish resolution.

Encouraging Extreme Palestinian Positions

The Spanish Parliament overwhelmingly approved a non-binding resolution to recognize ‘Palestine’ last week. The act was symbolic, but according to Israel’s foreign ministry, “The Spanish parliament’s declaration only pushes away further the chances of reaching an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians because it encourages the Palestinians to take extreme positions. It would have been better had the Spanish parliament seen fit to denounce the abominable massacre in a Jerusalem synagogue carried out by Palestinians who were incited.”

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel stated that Belgium generally favored recognizing Palestine as a state, Reuters reports. “But the question is when is the right moment,” he added, stressing the need for a common European Union position.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed opposition to the unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. She told the press conference that ” from our point of view, a unilateral recognition of the Palestinian state would not move us forward on the way to a two-state solution,” which Germany supports. She believes that the only solution lies with negotiations between the two sides, although she is aware that this would be very difficult to accomplish at this time.

Since the 28 EU member states would need to decide unanimously on recognizing Palestine as a state, Merkel’s objection mounts to a veto on the subject, Reuters points out.

Tell us in the comments below: How do YOU think Israel should respond to this wave of anti-Israel resolutions?

Author: United with Israel Staff