Palestinians seek recognition of statehood by more countries

Five South American nations have recognized Palestinian statehood in recent weeks, including Chile just days ago, and several more are expected to do so soon. The Palestinians are lobbying more and more states to recognize Palestine in its 1967 borders. The Palestinian foreign minister says he will ask the United Nations to recognize an independent Palestinian state next September.

“The Palestinian leadership feels this is the most helpful way to secure some sort of progress towards peace,” said Father David-Maria Jaeger, OFM, an expert on the region.

“As a member-state of the UN, then the negotiations with Israel would be on a state-to-state basis, rather as they are now,” he told Vatican Radio.

Father Jaeger said this could be a positive development for the Israelis, too.

“The Palestinian leadership specifically want to be recognized as a state compromising the territories occupied in 1967,” he said. “This means that in the very definition of their state, the recognize the State of Israel as covering the entire territory that was the State of Israel from 1949 until 1967.”

Listen to the full interview by Charles Collins with Fr. David-Maria Jaeger, OFM: