Ecuador Recognizes The State of Palestine
Ecuador recognized on December 25 the existence of a free and independent Palestinian state, being the latest country in Latin America to do this after Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina recognized the state of Palestine a few weeks ago.
The recognition of Palestine was made by the government of Ecuador, which said on Friday that the president Rafael Correa acknowledged Palestine as “free and independent within the borders since 1967.”
The diplomatic move to unilaterally proclaim a free state was made by Palestinian Authority after the failure of direct talks in September, as a result of the unwavering determination of Israel to maintain the decision of resuming settlement constructions in the West Bank.
Since then, Palestinians have sought the recognition of their state by the international community, outside the framework of the dialogue with Israel.
According to a statement of the Ecuadorian government, wars and violence are still occurring in the Middle East, and they are being contrary to the principles of the Ecuadorian Constitution that fosters humane and pacifist principles, which is a reason why Ecuador recognized the state of Palestinians.
Ecuador justified its decision by the fact that the state of Palestine is legitimated by the U.N. Security Council’s resolutions 242 and 338, as well as by an Arab initiative adopted at the 2002 Summit.
The Ecuadorian authorities said that the recognition of Palestine as a state will be fundamental for the achievement of peaceful co-existence in the region.
Israel had expressed disappointment at the announcement made by Brazilian authorities to recognize Palestine as independent state and reminded that according to bilateral agreements the borders of the state of Palestine can be established only by means of dialogue with Israel.11
