Malta waiting for when 'circumstances' are right to recognise Palestine

Malta is still waiting for the "optimal timeframe" to recognise the state of Palestine, as three EU countries announced on Wednesday they were going ahead with recognising the Palestinian state themselves.

Malta persists in seeking a two-state solution "that meets the aspirations of the people of Israel and Palestine, with Jerusalem as the capital of two states living side-by-side in peace and security," a foreign affairs ministry spokesperson said in a reply to Times of Malta questions.

"In this regard, Malta has recently affirmed its readiness to recognise Palestine, when such recognition can make a positive contribution, and when the circumstances are right," he said.

"In this regard, the Government is monitoring developments in the Middle East, to determine the optimal timeframes for this important development as soon as possible."

Norway, Ireland, Spain, recognise Palestinian state

Norway, Ireland and Spain announced on Wednesday they will recognise a Palestinian state, prompting Israel to immediately recall its ambassadors in Dublin and Oslo to discuss the issue in Jerusalem.

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris described the decision to recognise the Palestinian state as "a historic and important day for Ireland and for Palestine".

The Israeli foreign minister, on the other hand, said the decision risks turning these states "into a pawn in the hands of Iran and Hamas" and that the move would "only fuel extremism and instability".

Israel had also dubbed the recognition of the Palestinian state a "prize for terrorism".

Where does Malta stand?

Malta was originally among the countries that had, a few months ago, agreed to move towards recognising the Palestinian state.

In March, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that Spain and Ireland, along with Slovenia and Malta, had agreed to take their first steps towards recognition of a Palestinian state, seeing a two-state solution as essential for lasting peace.

It seems the Maltese government, however, is not ready to take that step yet, insisting it will do so when the time is right.

Although Malta does not yet formally recognise the Palestinian state, it has supported the two-state solution since 1988 and has an ambassador in the Palestinian territories, in Ramallah.

For decades, the formal recognition of a Palestinian state has been seen as the endgame of a peace process between Palestinians and their Israeli neighbours.

The United States and most Western European nations have said they are willing to one day recognise Palestinian statehood, but not before agreement is reached on thorny issues like final borders and the status of Jerusalem.

But after Hamas's October 7 attacks and Israel's retaliatory campaign in Gaza, diplomats are reconsidering once-contentious ideas.