NNA - The Palestinian Presidency today welcomed the recognition by the Bahamas of Palestine as a state.

The Presidency welcomed the Bahamas Ministry of Foreign Affairs announcement that “the Cabinet of The Bahamas has decided to formally recognize Palestine as a state” and praised the Bahamas for contributing to the consolidation of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination on its land and for taking practical steps to support the implementation of the two-state solution.

It stated that the right of peoples to self-determination is established and recognized under international law while reiterating the call for the states that have not recognized Palestine as a state to take up its responsibility in terms of recognizing the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and restoring confidence in a global system based on rules and equal rights for all peoples.

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Foreign Affairs Ministry welcomed the Bahamas decision to recognize Palestine as a state as an important decision consistent with the Palestinian people’s legitimate rights.

It stated that this decision came at a time when Palestinians as a whole along with the Question of Palestine are subjected to persistent attempts of forcible displacement and obliteration at the hands of Israel, the occupying power.

The Bahamas’ decision is important, the Palestinian Foreign Affairs Ministry noted, for contributing to the realization of the independent State of Palestine on the ground, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and ultimately to achieving peace and stability in the Middle East.

The Bahamas Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday that the Cabinet of The Bahamas has decided to formally recognize Palestine as a state.

“The Government of The Bahamas believes that recognition of the State of Palestine strongly demonstrates The Bahamas’ commitment to the principles espoused in the Charter of the United Nations and to the right of self-determination of peoples as articulated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR),” the Bahamas Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press statement.

It added that the Bahamas supports the legal right of the Palestinian people of self-determination “to freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development”. ----WAFA

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