EU’s Borrell says recognizing Palestine is not a gift to Hamas

European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Friday said that recognizing a Palestinian state was not a gift to Hamas.

Ireland, Norway and Spain said on Wednesday they would recognize a Palestinian state on May 28, to help secure a halt to Israel’s Gaza offensive after the Hamas attack on Oct.7 and revive peace talks that stalled a decade ago.

“Recognizing the Palestinian state is not a gift to Hamas, quite the contrary,” he said. “The Palestinian authority is not Hamas, on the contrary they are deeply confronted.”

He added the EU already talked, financed and met the Palestinian authority.

“Every time someone makes the decision to support a Palestinian state, … the reaction of Israel is to transform it in an antisemitic attack,” he added.