Several EU member states set to recognize Palestine in May: Borrell

LONDON

Several EU members are expected to recognize Palestinian statehood by the end of May, according to the bloc’s top diplomat.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell made the remarks to reporters in the Saudi capital Riyadh, on the margins of the World Economic Forum on Monday.

In response to Anadolu, his office confirmed that based on indications from various EU member states, Borrell expects some of them to make an announcement regarding "possible recognition of Palestine in the course of next month."

On Borrell's remarks, a spokesperson later said they were “slightly over-interpreted."

"This was said in the context of a wider discussion about the two-state solution, the latest vote in the UN Security Council on admitting Palestine, as a member and an upcoming vote on this same issue in the UN General Assembly," the spokesperson said.

His office reiterated that recognition comes on the level of individual member states, and is not a decision for the bloc.

Borrell “recalled the already publicly stated and known intentions or considerations of some EU member states when it comes to the possibility to recognize Palestine," said the spokesperson.

EU members Ireland, Slovenia, Malta, Norway, and Spain have already announced their intention to recognize the Palestinian state.

Türkiye, among others, has stressed that recognition of Palestine as a contiguous state on the pre-1967 borders is key to ending the bloodshed in the Middle East.

Israel has waged an unrelenting offensive on the Palestinian enclave since a cross-border attack by Hamas last Oct. 7 which killed some 1,200 people. More than 34,500 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and thousands of others injured amid mass destruction.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.