Lamola praised, in statements to a Western news agency from the capital Pretoria, the steps of countries like France and Canada, among others, which have expressed their intention to recognize. He considered this step as “enhancing the pressure to reach a ceasefire” in the region suffering from the scourge of conflict.
Alexander Stubb had announced his readiness to approve the recognition of the State of Palestine should the government submit an official proposal in this regard. His statement came in a post on the “X” platform, in which he praised recent decisions that strengthen the approach towards recognizing Palestine, describing it as a step towards “reviving the peace process.” He also pointed out the existence of “divergent views” within Finland on this issue, along with some concerns, calling for an open and honest discussion about it.
In a related context, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo last Friday confirmed his country’s support, without disclosing whether the government plans to proceed with recognizing Palestine. He explained that consultations with the president on foreign policy and Middle Eastern issues will continue until the United Nations General Assembly convenes next September.
Earlier, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the success achieved by the international conference for resolving the Palestinian issue through peaceful means and implementing the two-state solution in New York. He appreciated the “New York Declaration” regarding the peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and the implementation of the two-state solution.
The people of the Gaza Strip are suffering from unprecedented levels of hunger, with warnings of famine spreading and increasing numbers of deaths resulting from malnutrition, especially among children, patients, and people with disabilities. From October 7, 2023, until August 3 of the current year, the war on Gaza has resulted in the death of about 61,000 Palestinians, in addition to approximately 150,000 injured, according to data from the region.
