According to the data, the four countries are awaiting a vote in the UN General Assembly on May 10, after which the Palestinian Authority can be recognized as a full member of the UN.
In general on March 22 In a statement, Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia said they were ready to take the first steps towards recognizing a Palestinian state.
Spain and Ireland have long fought for Palestinian rights. The effort comes as the death toll from Israel’s military operation in the Gaza Strip continues to rise and calls for a ceasefire and lasting peace in the region echo around the world.
Since 1988 139 UN member states out of 193 have recognized Palestinian statehood.
Israel has said that the plan by the four countries is a “price for terrorism” that will reduce the chances of a negotiated solution to the Gaza conflict.
Slovenia begins the process of recognizing Palestine
The Slovenian government on Thursday adopted a decree on the recognition of the Palestinian state, which will be sent to parliament for approval by mid-June.
“The decree on the recognition of a Palestinian state is part of the government’s efforts to end atrocities in the Gaza Strip as soon as possible,” Prime Minister Robert Golob told a news conference, adding that a final decision could be made earlier than the June 13 deadline.
In March, Slovenia joined Spain, Ireland and Malta in issuing a joint statement in which the EU countries are “ready to recognize Palestine” once the conditions for statehood are met.
“We will continue to monitor progress on peace talks, the release of hostages and the reform of the Palestinian Authority, and if it is faster, we may complete the recognition process earlier,” Golob said.
Slovenia called on Israel to end its offensive in the Gaza Strip and warned that a threat to attack the city of Rafah would deepen the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territory.
Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon said in a message on the X social network that she was “happy with the decisive and irreversible step towards recognition”.
Approval of the decree requires a simple majority of 90 seats in the parliament, where Mr. Golob’s centre-left coalition has 51 seats.
On Wednesday, around 100 students at the University of Ljubljana started a pro-Palestinian protest, demanding that Slovenia recognize a Palestinian state.
Almost 60 percent of Slovenians support the recognition of the Palestinian state, and 20 percent does not support it, according to the results of a survey of 600 people conducted by the daily “Dnevnik” in April.
According to Palestinian estimates, the State of Palestine has been recognized by approximately 137 of the 193 members of the United Nations.
