To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.
This remains a five-alarm fire. We have just days left in our Fall Campaign and the numbers we’re seeing are not good. This is terrifying for us, especially when everything we cherish is on the ballot just one week from now.
France's National Asembly. (Photo: Agu V./flickr/cc)
French lawmakers on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted to recognize Palestine.
The non-binding resolution was approved by the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, 339 to 151.
The "resolution is concerned with reinforcing our country's diplomatic action, prevailing over hate speech everywhere and contributing to the establishment of peace in the Middle East," the text reads.
"The recognition of the Palestinian state must be accompanied by a beneficial and immediate return toward negotiation," it states.
Reporting by Agence France-Presse adds:
France is spearheading a drive at the United Nations to unfreeze the moribund peace process and the Palestinian envoy to the U.N. said earlier Tuesday a draft resolution could be submitted to the Security Council by mid-December.
Reutersadds:
"We don't want a symbolic recognition that will only lead to a virtual state," Europe Minister Harlem Desir told lawmakers in reaction to the vote. "We want a Palestinian state that is real so we want to give a chance to negotiations."
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously said France's recognition of Palestine would be a "grave mistake," and Israel's ambassador to France, Yossi Gal, told the Associated Press last week regarding France's vote: "I really hope that everybody will come back to their senses and see how bad this resolution is for everybody concerned."
In addition to following Sweden's official recognition of Palestinian statehood this year, France's measure comes after a flurry of similar symbolic votes in the UK, Spain and Ireland.
Noted scholar Noam Chomsky has said that these recent votes in Europe add pressure to resolving the conflict and show that these populations "want to distance themselves from the actions that Israel is taking, which are very explicitly criminal actions."
The future of all that we cherish is on the line and we have to fight like hell to protect democracy, human decency, and a liveable planet. The last line of defense is people who understand what’s at stake—activists, writers, thinkers, doers, and everyday people who see what is happening, know in their hearts that a better world is possible, and are willing to fight for it. You are one of the good people Common Dreams was built for. We provide independent news, progressive opinion, and crucial analysis on the day’s most important issues. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. But to keep publishing and remain strong in these dangerous times, we need your support. So we’re asking you today: Will you donate to our Fall Campaign and keep the progressive, nonprofit journalism of Common Dreams alive? |
French lawmakers on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted to recognize Palestine.
The non-binding resolution was approved by the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, 339 to 151.
The "resolution is concerned with reinforcing our country's diplomatic action, prevailing over hate speech everywhere and contributing to the establishment of peace in the Middle East," the text reads.
"The recognition of the Palestinian state must be accompanied by a beneficial and immediate return toward negotiation," it states.
Reporting by Agence France-Presse adds:
France is spearheading a drive at the United Nations to unfreeze the moribund peace process and the Palestinian envoy to the U.N. said earlier Tuesday a draft resolution could be submitted to the Security Council by mid-December.
Reutersadds:
"We don't want a symbolic recognition that will only lead to a virtual state," Europe Minister Harlem Desir told lawmakers in reaction to the vote. "We want a Palestinian state that is real so we want to give a chance to negotiations."
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously said France's recognition of Palestine would be a "grave mistake," and Israel's ambassador to France, Yossi Gal, told the Associated Press last week regarding France's vote: "I really hope that everybody will come back to their senses and see how bad this resolution is for everybody concerned."
In addition to following Sweden's official recognition of Palestinian statehood this year, France's measure comes after a flurry of similar symbolic votes in the UK, Spain and Ireland.
Noted scholar Noam Chomsky has said that these recent votes in Europe add pressure to resolving the conflict and show that these populations "want to distance themselves from the actions that Israel is taking, which are very explicitly criminal actions."
French lawmakers on Tuesday overwhelmingly voted to recognize Palestine.
The non-binding resolution was approved by the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, 339 to 151.
The "resolution is concerned with reinforcing our country's diplomatic action, prevailing over hate speech everywhere and contributing to the establishment of peace in the Middle East," the text reads.
"The recognition of the Palestinian state must be accompanied by a beneficial and immediate return toward negotiation," it states.
Reporting by Agence France-Presse adds:
France is spearheading a drive at the United Nations to unfreeze the moribund peace process and the Palestinian envoy to the U.N. said earlier Tuesday a draft resolution could be submitted to the Security Council by mid-December.
Reutersadds:
"We don't want a symbolic recognition that will only lead to a virtual state," Europe Minister Harlem Desir told lawmakers in reaction to the vote. "We want a Palestinian state that is real so we want to give a chance to negotiations."
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu previously said France's recognition of Palestine would be a "grave mistake," and Israel's ambassador to France, Yossi Gal, told the Associated Press last week regarding France's vote: "I really hope that everybody will come back to their senses and see how bad this resolution is for everybody concerned."
In addition to following Sweden's official recognition of Palestinian statehood this year, France's measure comes after a flurry of similar symbolic votes in the UK, Spain and Ireland.
Noted scholar Noam Chomsky has said that these recent votes in Europe add pressure to resolving the conflict and show that these populations "want to distance themselves from the actions that Israel is taking, which are very explicitly criminal actions."