The European Parliament is expected to vote on a proposal this month, initiated by the parliament’s Socialists and Democrats group and with the backing of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left group, to recognize the state of Palestine. The initiative also has the support of a group of prominent Israelis who, in a message to the parliament, encouraged it to go ahead.

If the European Parliament votes in favor of the proposal, it would follow in the steps of Sweden, which has officially recognized Palestine as a state, and some national parliaments – including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain and, most recently, France – whose lawmakers have passed motions calling on their government to recognize Palestine. There seems to be some momentum in Europe for the recognition of Palestine because of the frustration with the stalemate in the peace process and the disappointment with the Israeli government’s policy.

There is nothing in international law that prohibits the Palestinian authority from unilaterally declaring independence, but to the European Union, it’s a political issue that needs careful consideration. All final-status issues remain unresolved: the future Palestinian state’s borders, security arrangements, the status of Jerusalem, water allocation and last but not the least the right of return of Palestinian refugees.

These are all difficult issues that require mutually acceptable and agreed-upon solutions. That’s why the official EU position until now has been that recognizing Palestine now would be premature. The European Council has often declared that European Union will only recognize those borders that have been agreed by the parties to the conflict as the result of direct peace negotiations.

To read more go to Haaretz.