Palestinian Presidency hails Bahamas' recognition of state of Palestine

By Ahmed Asmar

ANKARA (AA) - Palestine on Wednesday welcomed the decision by the Bahamas to officially recognize the state of Palestine.

In a statement quoted by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, the Palestinian Presidency hailed the Bahamas’ "contribution to the enshrinement of the right of the Palestinian people in self-determination on their land and in taking practical steps to support the implementation of the two-state solution."

It also reiterated its call to all countries that have yet to recognize the state of Palestine to follow suit, and to stand for their obligations in recognizing the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.

On Tuesday, the Bahamas Foreign Ministry announced that the country’s Cabinet decided to formally recognize Palestine as a state.

"The Government of The Bahamas believes that recognition of the State of Palestine strongly demonstrates The Bahamas’ commitment to the principles espoused in the Charter of the United Nations and to the right of self-determination of peoples as articulated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights," the ministry said in a statement.

The number of countries that have recognized Palestine's statehood at the UN level has recently increased, towards granting Palestine full membership at the UN.

Palestine was accepted as an observer state of the UN General Assembly in 2012, allowing its envoy to take part in debates and UN events but without a vote.