PALESTINE (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: Ireland, Norway, and Spain have announced they will formally recognise a Palestinian state from 28 May.

Palestine

• About: It is an area of the eastern Mediterranean region.
• The region comprises parts of modern Israel and the Palestinian territories of the Gaza Strip (along the Mediterranean coast) and the West Bank (west of the Jordan River).
• Capital: Jerusalem
• Membership: UNESCO granted the Palestinians full membership in the UN cultural agency, leading the US to defund the body.
• Status Change: In 2012, the General Assembly voted in favour of changing Palestine’s status to “non-member observer state”.
• ICC Recognition: In 2015, the International Criminal Court recognised Palestine as a party.

India-Palestine

• In 1974, India became the first Non-Arab State to recognize Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.
• In 1988, India became one of the first countries to recognize the State of Palestine.
• In 1996, India opened its Representative Office to Palestine in Gaza City, which was later shifted to Ramallah in 2003.