Finnish President Alexander Stubb said he is prepared to approve the recognition of Palestine if the government submits an official proposal.Commenting on the announcement by France, Britain, and Canada of their intention to recognize the State of Palestine next September, Stubb said in a post on the X platform, ‘This step strengthens the momentum for recognizing Palestine,’ describing it as ‘a step toward reviving the peace process.”We have been discussing this difficult question since the beginning of October 2023. Now I myself see that the situation has progressed to the point where Finland must make its choice,’ he said.’If the Government proposes recognizing the state of Palestine, with or without conditions, I am ready to accept it immediately,’ he added.For his part, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, in separate statements today, reiterated his country's support for the two-state solution, without clarifying whether his government intends to submit a formal proposal to recognize the State of Palestine. He indicated that consultations with the country's president regarding this step will continue until the UN General Assembly next September.These statements come amid growing international pressure to recognize the State of Palestine and following a collective call by 15 Western countries to take this step during the upcoming UN General Assembly session next month. This call comes against the backdrop of the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza, which has left more than 208,000 dead and wounded, most of them women and children.In May this year, Spain, Norway, and Ireland announced their official recognition of the State of Palestine, followed by Slovenia in June, bringing the number of countries that have recognized the State of Palestine to 149 out of 193 UN member states.
