Ashrawi welcomes the vote of the Greek Parliament to recognize Palestine

The vote will be on a non-binding resolution but will be highly symbolic as Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas will first address the assembly.

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

The Greek parliament has voted unanimously in favour of recognising the state of Palestine during a visit from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Larry is our main news editor.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Monday that all Greek public documents will use the term “Palestine” rather than the term “Palestinian Authority”.

“The reality is that continued settlement activity in occupied Palestinian territory is doing significant damage to any possibility of a lasting peace between the two sides and is moving the situation ever closer to a one-state reality”, Jeffrey Feltman, the United Nations under secretary-general for political affairs, said last October.

Mr Tsipras’ leftist-led government is trying to balance improved bilateral relations with Israel with his party’s long-standing support for Palestinian statehood.

However, the recognition will not be by the Greek state, in order “not to disturb good relations with Israel”, according to a statement released by the Greek foreign ministry. “A process that will give again hope to the Palestinian people, but also to the Israeli people, for a better future, for a peaceful coexistence of two peoples in the same region”, Mr Tsipras said.

“Greece was committed to the installation of a viable and sovereign Palestine state based om borders set in 1967 and with East Jerusalem as its capital, a country that will coexist peacefully with Israel”, Tsipras said.

Last month, the Greek premier visited Israel and met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“When the time is deemed to be right, Greece will make the necessary steps”, he said.
So far, only eight European Union member states have recognised the Palestinian state.