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EXPLAINED: Why Austria does not recognise the state of Palestine

Norway, Spain, and Ireland have announced they will recognise Palestine as a state - so where does Austria stand and why?

Published: 23 May 2024 11:34 CEST
EXPLAINED: Why Austria does not recognise the state of Palestine
People wave Palestinian flags and shout slogans in support of Palestine during a Pro-Palestinian demonstration outside the Chancellery in Vienna, Austria on October 15, 2023. (Photo by JOE KLAMAR / AFP)

The war in the Middle East has brought back some significant debate in Austria and Europe in general. When is criticism of Israel a demonstration of antisemitism? Is a two-state solution, with the recognition of Palestine as a country, the answer to end the region’s bloodshed? And where does Austria stand on the matter?

As it is, “Palestine is not recognised by Austria as a state in the sense of international law”, according to the country’s Foreign Ministry. 

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly spoken out against a separate Palestinian state, which the USA and the Europeans support in principle.

So far, there is only a Palestinian Authority (PA) with very limited state rights, which is based in the West Bank.

READ ALSO: Why conservatives in Lower Austria want to tighten citizenship rules

Which EU countries already recognise the Palestinian state?

Norway, Ireland, and Spain announced they would recognise Palestine as a state by the end of May. The three countries have already attracted a furious response from Israel, which called back its ambassadors in response.

Still, other EU countries might follow suit in hopes that the recognition would help peace negotiations in the region. Slovenia and Malta have also hinted at the imminent recognition of Palestine as a state. 

Sweden took this step ten years ago. The other nine EU states that already recognise Palestine as a state, including Hungary, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia, did so when they were not yet EU members.

Around 140 out of 193 UN members recognise Palestine as a state.

Palestine, therefore, has the status of an observing non-member state in the UN. This means it can participate in meetings of the General Assembly but does not have the right to vote. Palestine has been a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC) based in The Hague for almost ten years since 2015.

Palestine cannot be recognised as a full member of the UN until a majority of the UN Security Council votes in favour.

However, the Palestinian territories are not recognised as a state by the USA, France and the United Kingdom – all three of whom are permanent members of the Security Council. They only want to agree to recognition once the conflict with Israel has been peacefully resolved.

READ ALSO: Concern grows in Austria over rise in anti-Semitic acts

What about Austria?

Austria insists on a “political process,” Kurier reported. Austria has long been a supporter of a negotiated two-state solution based on international law.

“We are deeply convinced that this is the only option that allows Israelis and Palestinians to live peacefully side by side,” Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg told the newspaper.

“Of course, this also requires the creation of an independent, democratic and viable Palestinian state.”

The Foreign Minister proposes further negotiations for the two-state solution. “Symbolic recognition at this point will not help the Palestinians. Rather, a sustainable solution is needed so that both sides can live in peace and security,” the minister said.

Strong ties to Israel

Austria has also, of course, been a strong ally of Israel for decades. It has repeatedly shown its support for the country and the Jewish population, a historical tie going back to the legacy of the Holocaust. 

Recently, Austria was among the few countries that voted no to a ceasefire as a United Nations resolution. 

Explaining Austria’s rare decision to take a firm stance, Chancellor Karl Nehammer of the conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) said: “A resolution in which the terrorist organisation Hamas is not named, in which the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th are not condemned and in which Israel’s right to self-defence, which is enshrined in international law, is not stated – Austria cannot agree to such a resolution.”

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How Austria’s centre-left SPÖ party plans to change integration policy

Asylum, migration, and integration policies are a much-debated issue in Austria, particularly as the country heads to its national elections in the fall. What are the centre-left SPÖ plans?

Published: 24 June 2024 12:12 CEST
How Austria's centre-left SPÖ party plans to change integration policy

National elections in Austria will take place this fall, and one of the most debated issues – certainly one that has been driving voters for the past few years – is the refugee and asylum policy debates. 

While the far-right party FPÖ has gained popularity with extremist views such as closing off Austria entirely for asylum seekers, the centre-right ÖVP has also presented tougher stances. The chancellor’s party has publicly defended the creation of “asylum centres” for processing outside of the EU borders. Chancellor Karl Nehammer has also fully supported the UK’s plan to deport asylum seekers to “safe third countries”. 

A tougher stance on refugee policies has proved popular in Austria, and the centre-left SPÖ party has also seemed to lean toward stricter ideas more recently. However, since the party got a new leadership, a precise migration programme had not been presented yet. However, the issue was pressing, particularly following the party’s poor performance in the EU elections, when migration played a key role.

READ ALSO: How a change in the profile of asylum seekers is impacting Austria

So what are the party’s plans?

The SPÖ presented a new” masterplan” for asylum, migration, and integration. According to the SPÖ, the “Doskozil-Kaiser paper,” which has existed since 2018, has been “sharpened,” resulting in an “offensive paper” with approaches for action, said SPÖ leader Andreas Babler.

The aim was to “ensure balance and order” under “the premise of humanity”, said Babler at a press conference in Vienna.

The plan’s main points include faster procedures at the EU’s external borders, a fair distribution of refugees within the EU, and sanctions against countries that refuse to do so. With this, the SPÖ wants to reach a 75 percent reduction in the number of asylum applications. 

For example, the party leaders mentioned Hungary, where there were only 45 applications in 2023, compared to almost 60,000 in Austria. They said Hungary had to be persuaded to cooperate by exhausting all legal and political means.

The SPÖ proposes procedure centres along the EU’s external borders so that procedures can be completed more quickly and people do not hand themselves over to smugglers. The EU should set up “common centres for asylum applications”, for example, in embassies. 

People should only be distributed within the EU once the asylum applications have been assessed favourably. As a first step, cooperation between individual states could occur without the consent of all EU member states.

READ ALSO: When do Austrians think an immigrant is successfully integrated?

‘Integration year’ and deportation

The SPÖ plan contains an “extended mandatory integration year” that would ensure refugees get “German and values courses.” However, severe penalties, including deportation, would be imposed for serious offences or “repeated minor crimes.” 

Instead of mass accommodation, the SPÖ proposes small centres enabling better contact with the population. Women’s rights should also become a “central guiding principle for integration”. Women’s self-determination is the top priority, said SPÖ women’s spokesperson Eva-Maria Holzleitner.

The party reiterated that asylum is fundamentally a human right that should never be questioned. However, those who are denied their asylum request would be deported to their country of origin or safe third countries, the party advocates. 

READ ALSO: Who needs to take Austria’s integration exam?

Criticism from the right

Over the weekend, party representatives from far-right FPÖ and centre-right ÖVP have come out to criticise the SPÖ proposals. 

An FPÖ spokesperson said the plan is “pure PR policy” and that, in truth, the SPÖ had “always opened the door to illegal mass immigration under the guise of asylum”. The ÖVP said the proposals are just “headlines instead of concrete proposals for solutions”. 

In a press release, the party said that no capacity limit was presented, showing “that the SPÖ has still not realised that illegal migration cannot be countered by further squeezing the Austrian taxpayer”

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