Palestinian Territories ►Swedish PM: “Sweden to recognise state of Palestine” On 3 October Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said Swedens new center-left government will recognise the state of Palestine in a move that will make it the first major European country to take the step. The U.N. General Assembly approved the de facto recognition of the sovereign state of Palestine in 2012 but the European Union and most EU countries, have yet to give official recognition. The conflict between Israel and Palestine can only be solved with a two-state solution, negotiated in accordance with international law, Lofven said during his inaugural address in parliament. A two-state solution requires mutual recognition and a will to peaceful co-existence. Sweden will therefore recognise the state of Palestine. A senior Palestinian official said on 9 October that European moves toward recognising an independent Palestine would bring them in line with global public opinion, ahead of a symbolic British parliament debate on the issue set for 13 October. Israel has said says such recognition would undermine now stalled negotiations between the two sides, but Palestinians believe it is the best way to achieve a state. International public opinion is way ahead of many governments. There is a strong solidarity movement, there is a strong network of people speaking out when governments are much more timid and reticent, Hanan Ashrawi, an official in the Palestine Liberation Organisation, told reporters at her office in the West Bank city of Ramallah. ►Fatah and Hamas agree deal for unity government to take control of Gaza On 25 September the two main Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, have reached a “comprehensive” agreement that would turn over the civil administration of Gaza immediately to officials of a Palestinian unity government led by President Mahmoud Abbas. The agreement, negotiated in Cairo, is designed to ease the long blockade of Gaza by Israel and Egypt and open the way to reconstruction of the war-ravaged coastal entity. A recent Palestinian Authority study estimated the cost of reconstruction in Gaza following this summer’s 50-day conflict with Israel at USD7.8bn. Palestinian officials said the agreement would allow the Palestinian Authority to take control over the border crossings of the Gaza Strip, including the crucial Rafah crossing into Egypt – a key demand of Egypt’s president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi. According to sources in Egypt close to the talks, Palestinian Authority security forces would also control the Philadelphia corridor, a key strip adjoining the border with Egypt. Officials from the rival factions began meeting in Cairo on Wednesday to try to overcome their differences and strengthen their hand for talks with Israel slated for late next month. On 9 October the Palestinian unity government arrived in Gaza for a 24-hour visit, the first by a joint Hamas-Fattah delegation. It will mostly discuss reconstruction of the occupied Palestinian territory severely damaged by weeks of Israeli attacks in the summer.
Posted on: Sat, 11 Oct 2014 08:52:20 +0000