Slovenia Prepares to Recognize Palestine After Trump Move
- Foreign Minister says it’s the right time to back Palestinians
- U.S. set to recognize Jerusalem as Israeli capital in 2019
A picture taken from the West Bank city of Ramallah shows Israel's separation barrier and the settlement of Beit El behind it.
Photographer: ABBAS MOMANI/AFP/Getty Images
Slovenia is preparing to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state next month as Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas urged European Union countries to do so, reflecting concerns about U.S. President Donald Trump’s declaration that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital.
Slovenia would join Sweden as the second EU member to recognize Palestine among the bloc’s 28 states, Delo newspaper reported Monday, citing Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec. Debates on whether to acknowledge the State of Palestine are also happening in Portugal, Ireland, Belgium and Luxembourg, according to the Ljubljana-based newspaper. Since 1988, 136 countries have recognized the State of Palestine at the United Nations, where it has the status of "non-member observer state."