Luxembourg ‘as of today’ formally recognises State of Palestine

Luxembourg “as of today” formally recognises the State of Palestine, the country’s prime minister, Luc Frieden, declared at the UN General Assembly late on Monday.

Frieden was speaking at the High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and Implementation of the Two-State Solution, chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.

“Rarely has the prospect of a two-state solution felt more distant than today and yet, never has the international will to achieve it been more unified,” Frieden said in New York late on Monday – the early hours of Tuesday morning in Luxembourg.

The Grand Duchy joined a growing list of countries – including France – which have recognised Palestine statehood in the aftermath of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which human rights organisations have labelled a genocide.

“The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the threat of unilateral annexation in the West Bank are unacceptable,” said Frieden, adding that a two-state solution is in the interest of creating lasting piece for both Israel and Palestine.

“This is not a decision to reward violence,” said Luxembourg’s premier, condemning the 7 October Hamas attacks, which had triggered Israel’s retaliatory war.

The Hamas attacks killed 1,200 people in Israel, with 250 hostages taken, with 48 people still being held in Gaza of which Israel believes 20 to be alive.

“We call for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” Frieden said.

However, Luxembourg’s decision to recognise Palestine was no longer linked to preconditions such as the release of hostages, in contrast to earlier remarks made by both the prime minister and Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel.

Luxembourg had long hesitated to recognise Palestine, deciding not to join an earlier wave of EU countries – including Ireland and Spain – which took the step last year.

The Grand Duchy has now joined more than 150 countries which have recognised Palestine statehood, including France, which also made the same announcement at Monday’s UN meeting. The UK, Canada, Australia and Portugal had formally recognised Palestine on Sunday as part of the French-Saudi event.

“One solution exists to break the cycle of war and destruction: acknowledging each other,” French President Emmanuel Macron said. “We must recognise that Palestinians and Israelis are living in twin solitude,” he said, adding that “nothing justifies the ongoing war in Gaza.”

The push by France and Saudi Arabia for more countries to recognise Palestinian statehood highlights the increasing concern among world powers about the devastation and humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the war between Israel and Hamas has raged for almost two years and has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians.

The UN earlier this month declared famine in parts of Gaza after aid blockades by Israel stopping vital food and other resources from entering the Gaza strip, a territory home to 2 million people but that measures only around a seventh of Luxembourg’s size.

There’s little sign it will end soon, with Israel signalling a new ground offensive on Gaza City could last several months and Hamas unwilling to surrender.

The diplomatic initiative also underscores Israel’s deepening isolation. Beyond the US, its main ally, it has few countries supporting its continuation of the war.

The European Union, Israel’s biggest trading partner, is discussing suspending Israel’s preferential commerce benefits, although some key German politicians have expressed their disapproval.

Israeli stocks are the world’s worst performers in dollar terms over the past two weeks as investors factor in an even longer and more expensive conflict.

Macron, in his UN speech, said Paris could open a Palestinian embassy once hostages held by Hamas have been released and the war is over. It is also time for countries around the world to stop questioning the existence of the Israeli state, the French leader said.

“This is not a decision against Israel or its people,” said Frieden.

Israeli criticism

The drive for the recognition of Palestine has drawn criticism from US President Donald Trump and from Israel, which says it amounts to a reward for Hamas, classified as a terrorist organisation by the US, UK, EU and others. US and Israeli delegates did not attend the conference.

Macron countered that recognition is a “defeat for Hamas,” arguing that the group – which seeks Israel’s destruction – isn’t in favour of a two-state solution.

Palestinian officials have said the UN event is a symbolic boost to their quest to form a state in the West Bank and Gaza, which together hold over 5 million people.

Still, the conflict in Gaza and the increase in the number of Jewish settlements in the West Bank have undermined the prospect of a state being established in the foreseeable future.

“In the short term, the practical impact of the recognitions is likely to be limited,” said Dina Esfandiary, head of Middle East geoeconomics for Bloomberg Economics. “But it could pave the way for more consequential pressure on Israel over the war in Gaza.”

Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, which has limited power in the West Bank, spoke by video to the UN, thanking the participants. He and other Palestinian officials were refused visas by the US government.

Abbas said Hamas should have no role in the future governance of the Palestinian territories and reiterated his condemnation of the group’s attack on Israel on 7 October.

“What we want is one unified state without weapons,” Abbas said.

Frieden in his remarks said it is now up to Palestinian leadership to “live up to [the] responsibilities of statehood.”

Israel is firmly against a Palestinian state, saying it will undermine the Jewish state’s security. The Israeli government, and most citizens, have hardened their stance against a two-state solution since Hamas’s assault.

“There will be no Palestinian state,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday. He called recognition an “attempt to force upon us a terror state in the heart of our land.”

Netanyahu will speak at the UN General Assembly on Friday and will meet Trump at the White House the following Monday. He said he will announce a response to countries that have recognised Palestine after that.

Much of the world has condemned Israel’s latest military moves in Gaza City, saying they will lead to more suffering for Palestinian civilians. Netanyahu says the operation is necessary to forces Hamas’s surrender and get it to release all hostages.