Greece set to recognize Palestine

Greece is set to recognise the state of Palestine in a parliamentary vote to be attended by Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, a government source said Sunday.

A solemn ceremony will accompany the vote on Tuesday as Greece joins dozens of other countries that accord recognition to Palestine, the source said.

Abbas is expected in Athens on Sunday ahead of the vote and will meet President Prokopis Pavlopoulos and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

• Last week, the Greek parliament's foreign affairs committee unanimously approved a motion to recognize Palestine.

Tsipras traveled to Israel last month when he met with both Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Tzipras was elected prime minister in January 2015, and on his first visit to the region, Tzipras met with the Israeli leadership and praised the importance of the relations between Israel and Greece.

While in Jerusalem for a meeting with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Tsipras took an opportunity to sign the President's guestbook, writing, " With great honor to be in your historic capital and to meet your excellencies."

Because of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and dispute over Jerusalem, many countries refuse to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital, much to Israel's displeasure.

A former Israeli diplomatic official said that Tzipras' reference to Jerusalem as Israel's capital was "unprecedented, especially for a European leader."

And just days after Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras visited Israel, Greek foreign minister Nikos Kotzias sent a letter to Netanyahu informing him that Greece has decided that it would not label goods made in the West Bank.

Palestine's flag was hoisted for the first time at UN headquarters in New York on September 30 in a symbolic gesture.

Abbas then took to the podium to call for universal recognition of Palestine.

At least 112 countries have recognized a Palestinian state, according to an AFP count, although a Palestinian estimate puts the number at 134.

Israel has long insisted that the Palestinians can only receive their promised state through direct negotiations and not through other diplomatic channels.
(i24news.tv staff with agencies)
i24news.tv
20/12/15
--
-
Related:

• In unprecedented move Greek PM calls Jerusalem Israel's 'historical capital'

• Czech parliament votes against labeling West Bank settlement products. Hungary, Germany and Greece have pledged to disregard the EU ruling.