Denmark's parliament to vote on recognition of Palestine next week

By Ebad Ahmed

PRAGUE, Czech Republic (AA) – Following a decision by Norway, Ireland and Spain to recognize Palestine as a state, the Danish parliament will vote Tuesday on a proposal calling for the recognition of the Palestinian state, state-run media reported.

According to the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, Trine Pertou Mach, the foreign affairs spokesman for the opposition Red-Green Alliance, said: "The government parties will also have a chance to vote for this when we vote next week. And I would like to clearly urge the government to change its position and follow Norway and the other European countries.”

The proposal has been put forward by the Red-Green Alliance, the Social Liberals, the Alternative and the Socialist People's Party.

The Danish government has made its position clear that it will not support the resolution as Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said: “To be a state, you have to have a territory you have control over and some authorities that can control it. And that is not exactly the situation right now.

"Right now, we have a Hamas in Gaza that does not want a two-state solution. We have a government in Israel that does not seem to have much appetite for a two-state solution either," the foreign minister said.

Reacting to the developments, the Red-Green Alliance spokesperson said that the only way to lasting peace is through the political road.

"It starts with Palestine also being recognized as an independent state, so that the two parties are more equal in the negotiations that are to come," said Mach.

As the government has announced that it will not back the proposal, it is virtually clear that there is no apparent majority in the Danish parliament that is in favor of the proposal.

Norway, Ireland, and Spain announced early Wednesday that they would recognize Palestine as a state effective on May 28.

The announcements by the three European countries come as Israel continued its brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire in the besieged enclave.

Palestine is already recognized by eight European countries: Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Sweden, and the Greek Cypriot administration.

Over 35,700 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and nearly 80,000 others injured since last October following an attack by the Palestinian group Hamas.

More than seven months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered it to ensure that its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.