Danish parliament rejects proposal to recognise Palestinian state

Denmark’s parliament rejected a proposal to recognise a Palestinian state on Tuesday, backing the government’s view that the necessary conditions were not in place, despite the decision by Ireland, Spain and Norway to endorse independence.

[ Israel vents anger at Palestinian recognition through diplomacy and online videos ]

The Danish bill had been proposed by four left-wing parties.

Sascha Faxe, member of parliament for The Alternative, said recognising a Palestinian state was the only way to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East.

"The vast majority of Danish politicians agree that there will be no lasting peace in the Middle East without a two-state solution," she said in parliament, adding that she saw recognition as a way to give rights to ordinary Palestinians.

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Foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen had previously said the Danish government could not recognise a Palestinian state because it did not have a single functioning authority or control over its own territory.

Rasmussen did not take part in Tuesday’s debate but has said he hopes Denmark will one day be able to give its backing to a Palestinian state.

[ Dáil suspended as protesters shout ‘sanctions now’ during debate recognising state of Palestine ]

Meanwhile, the University of Copenhagen said on Tuesday it would halt investment in companies that do business in the occupied West Bank amid student protests pressuring the campus to cut financial and institutional ties with Israel.

The university will, as of May 29th, divest its holdings worth a total of about 1 million Danish crowns (€135,000) in Airbnb , Booking.com and eDreams, it said in a post on social media platform X.

The university said it would work with fund managers to manage its investments and ensure they comply with a United Nations list of companies involved in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

In France, the head of the National Assembly suspended Tuesday’s afternoon session of the lower house of parliament after Sébastien Delogu, a deputy of the hard-left Les Insoumis (LFI) party, waved a Palestinian flag to draw attention to the situation in Gaza.

“This is not tolerable,” National Assembly president Yaël Braun-Pivet said as she suspended the session.

“We will continue to carry the voices of peace everywhere, all the time,” the LFI party later said on social network X where it posted the video of the incident.

The incident took place as junior trade minister Franck Riester was answering a question about the situation in Gaza, where Israel’s offensive against Hamas militants has stirred global condemnation for its civilian toll.

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