Denmark’s parliament is set to vote on recognising Palestine as a state, following the lead of other European countries.
State media reported that following the decision by Norway, Ireland, and Spain to recognise Palestine as a state, the Danish parliament would vote on Tuesday, May 28.
Foreign affairs spokesman for the opposition Red-Green Alliance, Trine Pertou Mach, stated:
The government parties will also have a chance to vote for this when we vote next week. And I would like to clearly urge the government to change its position and follow Norway and the other European countries.
The Red-Green Alliance, the Social Liberals, the Alternative, and the Socialist People’s Party put forward the proposal. The Danish government had made its position clear that it would not support the resolution, as Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen stated.
To be a state, you have to have a territory you have control over and some authorities that can control it. And that is not exactly the situation right now. Right now, we have a Hamas in Gaza that does not want a two-state solution. We have a government in Israel that does not seem to have much appetite for a two-state solution either.
With the government announcing that it will not support the move, a vote in the Danish parliament may not be in favour of recognising Palestine.
Norway, Ireland and Spain announced early Wednesday morning that they would recognise Palestine as a state from May 28. The announcements by the three European countries came as Israel continues its offensive on the Gaza Strip from 7 October 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the besieged enclave.
Eight European countries have already recognised Palestine: Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Sweden, and the Greek Cypriot administration.
Since last October, more than 35,700 Palestinians died and nearly 80,000 injured in Israel’s retaliatory attack.
The International Court of Justice accused Israel of genocide and ordered it to ensure that its forces did not commit acts of genocide and to take measures to guarantee humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip.
