Palestinians Hail Medvedev’s Declaration as a Historic Step

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev’s recognition of an independent Palestinian state was highly hailed by Palestinians who saw the move as a precedent.

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev’s recognition of an independent Palestinian state was highly hailed by Palestinians who saw the move as a precedent. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat described the declaration as "an historic move to make the Palestinians proud for a very long time to come." Medvedev's announcement took Israel, which was embarrassed and unprepared, in a hurry. The Israeli Foreign Ministry admitted that the workers' union's strike greatly compromised efforts to block the wave of recognition of a Palestinian state. "We are utterly blind to what's going on," one Foreign Ministry official told Ynet. In addition to the Russian president's statement of recognition on Tuesday, Chile, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay have all formally recognized Palestinian independence. The Palestinian Authority was proud of the fact that the Russian president visited the PA without first touring Israel and stressed a precedent has been set. Medvedev said Tuesday that Moscow had effectively recognized Palestine back in 1988 and has no intention of changing its position now. Talking to Ynet Erekat noted, "We appreciate the Russian recognition of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders whose capital is east Jerusalem." He added that the Russian president's visit had more than political significance. The common assessment among diplomatic sources, as quoted by Haaretz, is that as a result of these South American countries recognizing a Palestinian state, there will soon be a wave of recognition by countries in the Caribbean Islands. In the same area of the world, Palestinian officials have reportedly been in contact with Honduras, Guatemala, and El-Salvador and are making progress on receiving official recognition from these countries. The Palestinian government's spokesman Ghassan Khatib told Ynet that Medvedev's visit had met their expectations, ahead of the submission of an Arab proposal draft calling to condemn Israel over settlement construction. Medvedev left for Jordan Tuesday where he is scheduled to meet King Abdallah.