Israel calls recognition of Palestine “theater” and says it “will not change lives on the ground”

United Nations.- Israeli ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, described this Monday -before its start- as “theater” the international conference for the two-State solution (Israel and Palestine) and assured that “it will not change the lives of Palestinians on the ground”. “We will see a show when President (Emmanuel) Macron and his friends meet. We know that this conference arises from national interests, it is not diplomacy (…) It is an empty victory, an empty speech, instead of really condemning terrorism”, Danon told the press outside the United Nations General Assembly.

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The conference promises to be one of the major diplomatic events of the year, preliminary to the High-Level Week of the UN General Assembly that begins on Tuesday. The conference, sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia, had been conceived as the forum where some of the great Western powers were going to take the step of recognizing the Palestinian state, but the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Portugal anticipated this during the weekend. In line with the statements of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the ambassador of the Hebrew State assured that there will be “consequences” following these unilateral declarations and, specifically, about the French President, Emmanuel Macron, he assured to feel “disappointed”. “It’s very easy to come here, take some photos and give a speech, but this will not change anything,” Danon stressed. The Israeli representative to the UN defined his country as a “nation of peace that will continue to sign peace agreements in the future”. In addition, Danon added that they are “coordinating efforts with the United States” – neither country will take sides in the conference for the two-state solution – to “bring the hostages back and end Hamas.” The United States tried -in its own way- to sabotage this conference by denying the entry visa to the President of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and his team, in a clear violation of the treaties that bind the United States -as the host country- and the UN. At this moment, and without yet counting the countries that will join tomorrow, 151 countries recognize the Palestinian State, out of a total of 193 that sit in the UN. Recognition is practically unanimous in Latin America (except Panama) and Africa (except Cameroon and Eritrea). When asked about the situation in the West Bank and whether Israel is heading towards a total “annexation” of the Occupied Territory, the ambassador rejected the use of this word and preferred to categorize it as “application of sovereignty”. “When something belongs to you, you don’t annex it. I think it’s a decision the Government will have to debate,” Danon stated.