San Marino Foreign Secretary Luca Beccari announced at the United Nations General Assembly yesterday (Saturday) that his tiny country is the latest to recognize a 'Palestinian state.'
“San Marino officially recognizes the State of Palestine as a sovereign and independent state, within secure and internationally recognized borders, in line with the resolutions of the United Nations," Beccari stated.
“Having a state is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. It is not, and can never be, a reward for Hamas,” he said, adding that his country “condemns unequivocally the horrific terror attacks perpetrated by Hamas on 7 October and calls once again for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”
San Marino is a small, lanlocked country in northern Italy that has a population of about 34,000 citizens.
Britain, Canada, Australia, and Portugal recognized a 'Palestinian state' last Sunday. France, Monaco, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Malta followed suit on Monday.
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the nations that have recognized a 'Palestinian state' during his address to the UN General Assembly.
"In recent months Jews have been assaulted in many countries around the world. An elderly Holocaust survivor was burned here in the US, a young Jewish couple was gunned down outside the Holocaust museum. Instead of condemning these acts, many give them rewards - recognizing a Palestinian state. Nearly 90% of Palestinians supported the October 7th attack, they celebrated, they threw candies, just the way they celebrated another horror - 9/11. And the message they get is 'murdering Jews pays off,'" Netanyahu said.
"So I have a message - when you support their actions - this is a mark of shame on all of you. You support a Palestinian state next to Israel, but the problem is that they don't agree with that - they want a Palestinian state instead of Israel. Every time they were offered a state, they only attacked us again," he added.
Netanyahu declared: "We will not allow the establishment of a terrorist state just because you don't have the guts to recognize this situation. I say, on behalf of myself and all the residents of the State of Israel, that over 90% voted against a Palestinian state."