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FRANCE 24 EXCLUSIVE

Palestinian envoy Shahid hails 'positive' EU diplomacy

Palestinian Authority Ambassador to the EU Leila Shahid on Wednesday welcomed the European parliament’s resolution supporting Palestinian statehood in principle ahead of a UN Security Council vote in an interview with FRANCE 24.

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Reacting to the European parliament vote, which was passed with 498 lawmakers voting in favour and 88 against, Shahid said it was significant since it was voted by “a vast majority” of European lawmakers.

“I think that what’s important is the fact that the vast majority supported a consensus agreement. You have to understand that the European parliament is not a national parliament, it likes to go in for a consensus vote,” noted Shahid. “The fact that an overwhelming majority of two-thirds have recognised the importance of Palestinian statehood is a very important thing.”

The EU parliament vote follows Sweden’s decision in October to recognise Palestine and non-binding votes since then by parliaments in Britain, France and Ireland in favour of their recognition that demonstrated growing European impatience with the stalled peace process.

The veteran Palestinian diplomat spoke to FRANCE 24 on a day that has seen a flurry of diplomatic moves across the Atlantic as international sentiment – particularly in Europe – is shifting against Israel amid mounting frustrations over Israel’s continued expansion of settlements in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank.

Welcoming EU court ruling on Hamas

Earlier Wednesday, the EU court in Brussels ordered the Palestinian group Hamas be removed from the EU terrorist list for procedural reasons. The court however ruled that the 28-member bloc can maintain asset freezes against Hamas members for now.

Hamas was put on the EU terrorist list in the wake of the “war on terror” launched after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Palestinian group has remained on the list despite its 2006 victory in the Palestinian general elections. Hamas – which is now part of a ruling coalition with long-time rival, Fatah – has consistently contested its inclusion on the terror list.

The EU court on Wednesday ruled that the listing was based on media reports and not on “acts examined and confirmed in decisions of competent authorities.''

The court however insisted that its ruling did not “imply any substantive assessment of the question of the classification of Hamas as a terrorist group.''

Hours after the ruling, Shahid welcomed the verdict as a “positive step”. Speaking to FRANCE 24, Shahid noted that, “this is what stopped us from being able to have our government recognised back in 2006 after Hamas democratically won the majority of votes. This has been one of the reasons for the split between Hamas and Fatah,” said Shahid. “This can have a positive input in allowing us to get back to reconciliation, to unite Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem that are the territories of the Palestinian state.”

All eyes on UN Security Council vote

The territories of a future Palestinian state are under intense scrutiny Wednesday at the UN Security Council in New York, where Security Council members are set to vote on an Arab-backed draft resolution on ending Israel’s occupation of lands captured in 1967.

Israel has fiercely opposed the draft text set by Jordan, which sets a November 2016 deadline for Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders. Israeli diplomats maintain that the issues are too complex to arrive at a solution within two years and the deadline is an artificial, unachievable one.

When asked about the need for a UN Security Council vote, Shahid noted that previous US-brokered negotiations had failed. “Now we go for the only multilateral organisation in the world – the Security Council – because we have failed on a bilateral basis,” said Shahid.

 

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