BREAKING NEWS

Israeli leftists urge Europe to recognize Palestinian state

About 20 prominent Israeli figures from the Left have recently signed an open letter to European leaders urging them to support the Palestinian bid for independent statehood from the United Nations in September.
Led by the Israeli left-wing group Solidarity, signatories of the letter included former Knesset speaker Avraham Burg, former Foreign Ministry director-general Alon Liel, former head of the Civil Service Commission Itzhak Galnoor, and former Israeli ambassador to South Africa and the Philippines Ilan Baruch. Academics who penned the letter included Nobel Prize winner Professor Daniel Kahneman, former president of the Israel Academy of Sciences Menahem Yaari, Israel Prize winners Yuval Yermiahu and Avishai Margalit and authors Nir Baram, Lea Eini, and Ronit Matalon.
Given the mutual suspicions and foot-dragging by both the Israels and Palestinian, declaring Palestinian independence is not only a right, but also a positive and constructive step in favor of both nations, the signatories said.