PALESTINE : "Oz, Grossman sign petition calling on European parliaments to recognize Palestine" (HAARETZ - ISRAEL)
[800 personnalités israéliennes appelent le Parlement Européen à reconnaître un Etat Palestinien ! - 7 décembre 2014]
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Renowned Israeli authors Amos Oz, David Grossman and A.B. Yehoshua have signed a letter calling on European parliaments to recognize a Palestinian state.
According to the Gush Shalom organization, Oz, Grossman and Yehoshua join some 800 Israeli signatories, including Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman, former Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg and former Minister Yossi Sarid.
On Sunday the letter was sent to the Belgian parliament, which according to local reports is likely to vote on the issue this week. The parties that make up the country's federal government reportedly agreed to recognize Palestinian statehood unilaterally. However, Belgian lawmakers later denied these reports, according to JTA.
The petition was also sent to the Danish Parliament, which is expected to hold the first discussion on the recognition of a Palestinian state this week.
A copy is to be sent to lawmakers in the Irish parliament's lower house as well, ahead of an upcoming vote. The upper house passed a motion calling on its government to recognize a Palestinian state in October.
On December 2, French lawmakers voted in favor of recognizing Palestine as a state - a symbolic move that will not immediately affect France's diplomatic stance but demonstrates growing European impatience with a stalled peace process.
The motion echoes similar votes in Britain and Spain.
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