PA Foreign Minister: We must be secretive about which countries agree to recognize Palestinian state
Headline: “Al-Malki to WAFA: The growing number [of countries] recognizing the Palestinian state is attributable to the President, who is leading Palestinian diplomacy”
“Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Malki emphasized yesterday that President Mahmoud Abbas is the first who should be thanked for the growing number of international statements of recognition of the Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967…
He said, ‘We shall continue our efforts in the remaining west European countries, starting with Germany, Holland and Belgium. As to other countries, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has been working intensively with these countries in order to prevent the implementation of their decision to recognize the State of Palestine. We have obtained Israeli documents in this regard from several friendly states.’…
Al-Malki stated that the documents which Israel is disseminating claim that recognition of a Palestinian state contradicts agreements which have been signed. He noted that Israel views this as a unilateral step, and that the Foreign Ministry is working to respond to these messages and to expose the falsity of the Israeli claims.
He said: ‘Israel’s counter-activity is causing us to exercise caution and to act differently. Therefore, we shall not announce in advance which countries will grant us recognition, and we shall maintain a level of secrecy, so as not to allow Israel sufficient time to try to pressure these countries in order to prevent them from recognizing [Palestine], or to lower the level of representation.’”
“Foreign Minister Riyad Al-Malki emphasized yesterday that President Mahmoud Abbas is the first who should be thanked for the growing number of international statements of recognition of the Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967…
He said, ‘We shall continue our efforts in the remaining west European countries, starting with Germany, Holland and Belgium. As to other countries, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has been working intensively with these countries in order to prevent the implementation of their decision to recognize the State of Palestine. We have obtained Israeli documents in this regard from several friendly states.’…
Al-Malki stated that the documents which Israel is disseminating claim that recognition of a Palestinian state contradicts agreements which have been signed. He noted that Israel views this as a unilateral step, and that the Foreign Ministry is working to respond to these messages and to expose the falsity of the Israeli claims.
He said: ‘Israel’s counter-activity is causing us to exercise caution and to act differently. Therefore, we shall not announce in advance which countries will grant us recognition, and we shall maintain a level of secrecy, so as not to allow Israel sufficient time to try to pressure these countries in order to prevent them from recognizing [Palestine], or to lower the level of representation.’”