In this article, we will explore the fascinating world of Foreign relations of the State of Palestine, a topic that has captured the attention of people of all ages and walks of life. With a rich and diverse history, Foreign relations of the State of Palestine has played a crucial role in the formation of our societies and cultures. From its ancient roots to its relevance today, Foreign relations of the State of Palestine has proven to be a topic worthy of study and reflection. Throughout these pages, we will examine its many facets and its impacts in various areas, thus providing a complete and enriching overview of Foreign relations of the State of Palestine.
The Palestine Liberation Organization was created in 1964 as a paramilitary organization and has sought to conduct foreign relations with states and international organisations since that time. Initially, the PLO established relations with Arab and communist countries. In 1969 the PLO became a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. In October 1974, the Arab League designated the PLO as the "sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people". The new status of the PLO was recognised by all Arab League states except Jordan (Jordan recognised that status of the PLO at a later stage). On 22 November 1974, United Nations General Assembly Resolution 3236 recognised the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, national independence, and sovereignty in Palestine. It also recognised the PLO as the representative of the Palestinian people to the United Nations. By Resolution 3237 on the same date, the PLO was granted non-State observer status at the United Nations. In September 1976, the PLO became a non-state member of the Arab League, and in the same year became a member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
On 15 November 1988, in support of the First Intifada, the PLO declared the establishment of the State of Palestine, which was widely recognised by many foreign governments, although often statements made were of an equivocal nature – at times referring to the PLO or the State of Palestine or one acting on behalf of the other, or by the generic "Palestine". Many countries and organisations "upgraded" representation from the PLO to the new State, though in practice the same PLO offices, personnel and contacts continued to be used. In February 1989 at the United Nations Security Council, the PLO representative claimed recognition from 94 states. Since then, additional states have publicly extended recognition.
Both the PLO (representing itself, the State of Palestine, or the PNA) and the PNA now maintain an extensive network of diplomatic relations, and participate in multiple international organisations with status of member state, observer, associate, or affiliate. The designation "Palestine", adopted in 1988 by the UN for the PLO, is currently also used as reference to the PNA and the State of Palestine by states and international organisations, in many cases regardless of the level of recognition and relations they have with any of these entities.
The Palestine Liberation Organization maintains a network of missions and embassies, and represents the Palestinian National Authority abroad. Most of the 140 states that have recognised the State of Palestine have elevated the Palestinian representation in their country to the status of embassy. A number of other states have granted some form of diplomatic status to a PLO delegation, falling short of full diplomatic recognition. In some cases, as a matter of courtesy, these delegations and missions have been granted diplomatic privileges, and are often referred to as "embassies" with their heads as "ambassadors".
In the United States, an unofficial PLO information office was established in New York in 1964 and run by Sadat Hassan, who served as Permanent Representative of Yemen to the United Nations. The Palestine Information Office was then registered with the Justice Department as a foreign agent and operated until 1968, when it was closed. The PLO was designated a terrorist organization by the United States in 1987, but in 1988 a presidential waiver was issued which permitted contact with the organization. A PLO office was reopened in 1989 as the Palestine Affairs Center. The PLO Mission office, in Washington D.C., was opened in 1994, and represented the PLO in the United States. On 20 July 2010, the United States Department of State agreed to upgrade the status of the PLO Mission in the United States to "General Delegation of the PLO".
In 1964, the first summit of the League of Arab States, held in Cairo in January, resulted in a mandate for the creation of a Palestinian entity. Subsequently, in May, the Palestine Liberation Organization was established during a meeting of the Palestinian National Congress in Arab-controlled Jerusalem. The organisation's establishment was formally approved at the Arab League's second summit, held in Alexandria in October. The PLO was granted full membership in 1976. Its seat was assumed by the State of Palestine following the declaration of independence in 1988.[specify]
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The PLO was accorded full membership in the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC; now named Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) in 1969; it attended the founding conference, held in Rabat in September 1969, as an observer. Its seat was assumed by the State of Palestine following the declaration of independence in 1988.[specify] It is also a member of the Islamic Development Bank, an international financial institution for member states of the OIC.
The Palestine Liberation Organization was granted observer status at the United Nations General Assembly in 1974 through General Assembly Resolution 3237. In the UNGA's regional groupings, the PLO gained full membership in the Group of Asian states on 2 April 1986.[note 8] Acknowledging the proclamation of the State of Palestine, the UN re-designated this observer to be referred to as "Palestine" in 1988 (General Assembly Resolution 43/177) and affirmed "the need to enable the Palestinian people to exercise their sovereignty over their territory occupied since 1967". In July 1998, the General Assembly adopted a new Resolution (52/250) conferring upon Palestine additional rights and privileges, including the right to participate in the general debate held at the start of each session of the General Assembly, the right of reply, the right to co-sponsor resolutions and the right to raise points of order on Palestinian and Middle East issues. By this resolution, "seating for Palestine shall be arranged immediately after non-member States and before the other observers." This Resolution was adopted by a vote of 124 in favour, 4 against (Israel, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, United States) and 10 abstentions.
Since 2011, Palestinian diplomacy has been centred around the Palestine 194 campaign, which aims to gain membership for the State of Palestine in the United Nations at its 66th Session in September 2011. It seeks to effectively gain collective recognition for a Palestinian state based on the borders prior to the Six-Day War, with East Jerusalem as its capital. In September 2012, the Palestine Liberation Organization submitted a draft resolution according non-member observer state status to Palestine, which the General Assembly approved on 29 November 2012. The change in status was described by The Independent as "de factorecognition of the sovereign State of Palestine".
The vote was a historic benchmark for the sovereignState of Palestine and its citizens, whilst it was a diplomatic setback for Israel and the United States. Status as an observer state in the UN will allow the State of Palestine to join treaties and specialised UN agencies, such as the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the Law of the Seas Treaty and the International Criminal Court. It shall permit Palestine to claim legal rights over its territorial waters and air space as a sovereign state recognised by the UN. It shall also provide the citizens of Palestine with the right to sue for control of their territory in the International Court of Justice and with the legal right to bring war-crimes charges, mainly those relating to the unlawful Israeli occupation of the State of Palestine, against Israel in the International Criminal Court.
After Palestine was granted UN observer status, the UN authorised the PLO to title its representative office to the UN as 'The Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations', and Palestine re-titled its name accordingly on postal stamps, official documents and passports, whilst it has instructed its diplomats to officially represent 'The State of Palestine', as opposed to the 'Palestine National Authority'. Additionally, on 17 December 2012, UN Chief of Protocol Yeocheol Yoon decided that "the designation of 'State of Palestine' shall be used by the Secretariat in all official United Nations documents", thus recognising the PLO-proclaimed State of Palestine as being sovereign over the territories of Palestine and its citizens under international law.
The State of Palestine has been a full member of the Geneva Conventions since 2 April 2014.
In 1989, just one year after the proclamation of the State of Palestine, the Palestine Liberation Organization had tried to accede to the Geneva Conventions back in 1989, but Switzerland, as the depositary state, had stated that because the question of Palestinian statehood had not been settled within the international community, it was incapable of recognising Palestine as a "power" that could accede to the Conventions.
FIFA, IOC (International Olympic Committee) and IPC (International Paralympic Committee)
The PLO currently holds observer status at the World Health Organization (WHO). It had applied for full membership status as far back as 1989, when the United States, which provided one-quarter of the WHO's funding at the time, informed the WHO that its funding would be withheld if Palestine was admitted as a member state. Yasser Arafat described the U.S. statement as "blackmail". The PLO was asked to withdraw its application by the WHO director general. The WHO subsequently voted to postpone consideration of the application and no decision on the application has been made yet. John Quigley writes that Palestine's efforts to gain membership in several international organisations connected to the United Nations was frustrated by U.S. threats to withhold funding from any organisation that admitted Palestine. On 31 October 2011, following the admission of Palestine to UNESCO, the Minister of Health Fathi Abu Moghli announced that the PNA would then seek membership at the WHO; however, following reports that that would lead to the defunding of the entire organization by the United States – as the US had done to UNESCO after it admitted Palestine –, the Palestinian government announced that they would not be seeking membership at WHO at the time. As of 2023, the WHO still refers to the territories claimed by the State of Palestine – the West Bank and Gaza – as "the Occupied Palestinian Territory".
World Trade Organization (WTO)
In 2022, the State of Palestine was allowed to participate, as an observer state and under the name "Palestine", of the World Trade Organization's twelfth Ministerial Conference, held in Geneva, Switzerland.
International treaties and conventions
The Palestine Liberation Organization, representing the Palestinian National Authority, participates in trade liberalisation:
The Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian National Authority are jointly[note 13] accepted as party to the international agreements in the Arab Mashreq:
^ abPalestine Liberation Organization delegation has been IPU observer since the 117th session of the IPU Governing Council in 1975. At various sessions in 1996, 1997 and 1998 it was decided that the Palestine National Council does not fulfill the conditions for membership laid down in Article 3 of the IPU Statutes, but in 1998 the rights of the observer delegation of Palestine were strengthened. Following the approval of the amendment to Article 3 in 2008 the PNC was accepted as IPU member.
^The PLO participated in UNESCO as observer since 1974. In 1989 an application was submitted for the State of Palestine to become full member. In 2011 UNESCO accepted the application.
^ abFor the purposes of United Nations Regional Groups arrangement, the Palestine Liberation Organization participates in the Asia group since 2 April 1986.
^Palestine was accorded membership in ESCWA pursuant to ECOSOC Resolution 2089 (LXIII) dated 22 July 1977. Full powers for the signature of the Agreements were issued by the leaders of the PLO and the PNA.
^Palestine Liberation Organization originally granted observer status by the IAEA on 23 September 1976. Designation changed to "Palestine" on 29 September 1989, and "State of Palestine" on 28 September 2023.
References
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^Crawford, James (1999), "Israel (1948-1949) and Palestine (1998-1999): Two Studies in the Creation of States", in Goodwin-Gil, G.S.; Talmon, S. (eds.), The Reality of International Law: Essays in Honour of Ian Brownlie, New York: Fitzroy Dearborn, Oxford University Press, pp. 95–100, 110–115 "...Declaration was quite widely recognized by states, although often in equivocal terms"
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^ abTalmon, 1998, p. 158, footnote #236: "It is of interest to note that most States that have recognized the 'State of Palestine' after its proclamation on 15 Nov. 1988 have elevated the PLO office in their country to the status of embassy."
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^ ab"India-Palestine Relations"(PDF). Ministry of External Affairs - India. Archived from the original(PDF) on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2010. "In 1947, India voted against the partition of Palestine at the UN GA. India was first Non-Arab State to recognize PLO ... in 1974. India was one of the first countries to recognize the State of Palestine in 1988. In 1996, India opened its Representative Office to the Palestine Authority in Gaza, which later was shifted to Ramamllah in 2003".
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^ abcGovernment of Indonesia. "Bilateral Cooperation - Palestine". Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 1 February 2011. "Indonesia's formal recognition towards the recently established State of Palestine the very next day, on 16 November 1988 ... One year later, Indonesia and Palestine agreed to advance their bilateral relations through the signing of a Joint Communique on the Commencement of Indonesia-Palestine Diplomatic Relations at Ambassadorial Level, on 19 October 1988 ... Indonesia assigned its Head of Mission to the Republic of Tunisia as the Ambassador non-resident for Palestine until 1 June 2004, when the assignment was relegated to the Indonesia's Ambassador for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Amman."
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^
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^Government of Switzerland. "Diplomatic Corps"(PDF). Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. p. 353. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2011. "Délégation générale de Palestine".
^British Consulate-General in Jerusalem. "UK in Jerusalem, About us". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Retrieved 29 January 2011. "Other locations - Find more information about other offices for the British Consulate in Palestinian Territories - Gaza".
^British Consulate-General in Jerusalem. "UK in Jerusalem, Other locations". Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Retrieved 29 January 2011. "The British Information & Services Office (BISO) in Gaza, is affiliated with the British Consulate General in Jerusalem."
^Government of Vanuatu (21 August 1989). Letter to ambassador Ali Kazak (Ref: 8/3/3/nv-mf, 10/417/2). Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Accessed 30 May 2011.
^Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (2010). "ESCWA At a Glance". Archived from the original on 10 January 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
^Al-Bab (June 2002). "Palestinian Organisations". Arab Gateway. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2011.: "PLO also contains the ...; Palestinian Red Crescent Soc (established Jord 65, part of PLO from 1969)".
^ abInter-Parliamentary Union. "THE INTER-PARLIAMENTARY COUNCIL DECIDES ON PALESTINE'S AFFILIATION TO THE IPU". Inter-Parliamentary Union. Retrieved 25 November 2012.: "Palestine National Council...was not created by decision of a Parliament constituted in conformity with the laws of a sovereign State whose population it represents and on whose territory it functions ... does not have legislative power or the right to oversee the action of government."
^Inter-Parliamentary Union. "AMENDMENTS TO THE STATUTES AND RULES OF THE INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION"(PDF). Inter-Parliamentary Union. Retrieved 25 November 2011.: "Membership - Article 3, add a new Article 3.1 bis as follows: Ibis. The parliament constituted in conformity with the basic law of a territorial entity whose aspirations and entitlement to statehood are recognized by the United Nations, and which enjoys the status of Permanent Observer to that Organization with substantial additional rights and privileges, may also become a Member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union."
^Inter-Parliamentary Union. "119th ASSEMBLY OF THE INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION AND RELATED MEETINGS, Geneva, 13-15.10.2008". unispal.un.org. Archived from the original on 16 April 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2011.: "The Governing Council,...conditions laid down in Article 3 of the Statutes...Considering that...United Nations has on numerous occasions recognized the aspirations and entitlement to statehood of Palestine...Palestine enjoys the status of Permanent Observer to the United Nations...Considering also that the current situation on the Palestinian territories impedes the functioning of the Palestinian Legislative Council and that its participation in the work of the Inter-Parliamentary Union may therefore, for the time being, be facilitated by the Palestine National Council...Decides to admit the Parliament of Palestine as a Member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union...Annuls...the decisions...at its 117th and 163rd sessions regarding the participation of Palestine as an observer"
^Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United Nations. "Status of Palestine at the United Nations". United Nations. Archived from the original on 6 June 2011. Retrieved 9 December 2010.: "On 2 April 1986, the Asian Group of the U.N. decided to accept the PLO as a full member."
^United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (2002). "Government structures". United Nations. Archived from the original on 13 June 2010. Retrieved 5 December 2010.: "At present, the PLO is a full member of the Asian Group of the United Nations".
^Palestine/PLO (being a GA observer only) is not included in the list of "Members of the General Assembly, arranged in current regional groups"Archived 6 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Further, a recent document of UN-HABITAT, which classifies countries by explicit lists according to the "United Nations Regional Groups" (see: "UN-HABITAT's Global Report on Human Settlements"Archived 15 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine (2007), pp. 329-330), along with a more recent document of UN-AIDS - which classifies countries by explicit lists according to the "Regional Groups that are used by the UN General Assembly, ECOSOC, and its subsidiary bodies" (see: UNAIDS, The Governance HandbookArchived 9 January 2011 at the Wayback Machine (2010), pp. 28-29), do not include Palestine/PLO in any Regional Group, but instead write: "the General Assembly conferred upon Palestine, in its capacity as observer, additional rights and privileges of participation. These included the right to participation in the general debate of the General Assembly, but did not include the rights to vote or put forward candidates" (see: UN-HABITAT's Global Report on Human Settlements, p. 335, 2nd footnote; UNAIDS, The Governance Handbook, p. 29, 4th footnote).
^ abPermanent Observer Mission of Palestine to the United NationsArchived 31 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine: "since ... Vote in the United Nations General Assembly which accorded to Palestine Observer State Status, the official title of the Palestine mission has been changed to The Permanent Observer Mission of the State of Palestine to the United Nations."
^ ab"A/67/L.28 of 26 November 2012 and A/RES/67/19 of 29 November 2012". Unispal.un.org. Archived from the original on 10 December 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.: "the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, in accordance with a decision by the Palestine National Council, is entrusted with the powers and responsibilities of the Provisional Government of the State of Palestine."
^Sayigh, Yezid (1999). Armed Struggle and the Search for State: The Palestinian National Movement, 1949–1993 (illustrated ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 624. ISBN9780198296430. "The Palestinian National Council also empowered the central council to form a government-in-exile when appropriate, and the executive committee to perform the functions of government until such time as a government-in-exile was established."
^International Telecommunication Union (20 October 2010). "Palestine ITU status". Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2010.
^Maintenance Agency for ISO 3166 country codes (2010). "English country names and code elements". International Organization for Standardization. Retrieved 5 December 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^"OIC Member States". Permanent Mission of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to the United Nations Offices in Geneva and Vienna. Archived from the original on 11 March 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2009.
^Taylor & Francis group and Lucy Dean, 2003, p. 1328.
^ abUnited Nations; General Assembly (15 December 1988). "43/177: Question of Palestine". United Nations Information System on the Question of Palestine. Archived from the original on 1 November 2011. Retrieved 19 November 2010.
^ abMango, Anthony; Osmańczyk, Edmund (2003). Encyclopedia of the United Nations and international agreements. Vol. 4. Routledge. p. 1741. ISBN978-0-415-93924-9.