On Thursday, Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel told a committee that Luxembourg could consider recognising the State of Palestine, should the measures under discussion prove acceptable.

If it helped matters on the ground and provided a sense of security to Israel, then it would be "the right moment", Bettel said, addressing the press on Thursday. The Minister of Foreign Affairs spent the morning informing the Chamber of Deputies of the upcoming UN conference in New York, under the joint leadership of France and Saudi Arabia, which will seek to settle questions over Palestine's future and a potential two-state solution.

A package of measures is being finalised ahead of this conference in New York. This is a series of binding measures involving a series of preconditions. If the package is deemed acceptable, Luxembourg could consider recognising the State of Palestine, Bettel told members of the Foreign and European Affairs Committee.

"The situation is a different one now. After 7 October, it changed. There was a terrorist attack. There are still hostages being held. But what is currently happening in Gaza cannot be justified. Before, although the situation wasn't good, there were not hundreds of deaths every single day. But now I say we have to take the time and we must join other countries. I believe that if it helps Palestine and offers a certain amount of security for Israel, then it is the right moment in time. If the package [of measures] is right, then I am ready to take that step."

Among the conditions for the measures detailed by the foreign minister are a deradicalisation in Palestinian schools; exile for Hamas leaders; more solidarity towards Palestine on behalf of Arab countries; and finally, new elections in Palestine. Bettel said it was about putting pressure on Israel and not allowing Israel to determine when Palestine could be recognised as a state.

RTL

© Ghislain Federspiel