Luxembourg upgrades Palestinian mission to embassy status

Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister, Jean Asselborn, announced on Friday that his country has upgraded Palestine’s representation in the country to embassy status, Luxembourg Wort has reported. Asselborn announced the decision in a press conference held jointly with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who was on a one-day visit for talks with leading politicians.

Luxembourg has long been in favour of the two-state solution as a way to solve the Palestine-Israel conflict. The foreign minister has spoken out repeatedly against Israel’s illegal settlement policies. He expressed his hope that peace talks will resume in 2015, saying that silence between the two countries could help feed hate and terrorism.

Asselborn also condemned Israel for freezing the payment of tax revenues owed to the PA after Abbas’s decision to pursue membership of the International Criminal Court. “The destabilisation of Palestinian authorities by way of budgetary restrictions cannot be in anyone’s interest, and especially not Israel’s,” he insisted.

International human rights violations at the hands of Israel need to be stopped, added Asselborn. He called on the UN Security Council to set out a roadmap for peace and two-state solution talks.