Costa Rica Recognizes Palestinian State

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"Seizing upon the Bush administration’s recent push for an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord, the Palestinian Authority has been working to expand the number of countries that recognize Palestine as a country.

The effort received a major boost when Costa Rica, one of the first countries to recognize Israel and, until recently, one of the very few to have an embassy in Jerusalem, decided in early February to establish diplomatic relations with a “Palestinian state.”

Costa Rica, a small Central American country, decided to open official ties with a “state of Palestine” through an official document signed February 5 by Costa Rica’s ambassador to the United Nations and Riyad Mansour, the P.A.’s U.N. mission chief. Previously, Costa Rica had no official diplomatic relations with the Palestinians.

Mansour told the Forward that discussions for a similar opening of diplomatic relations were in advanced stages with Guatemala and the Dominican Republic."

more

[Violet_Crumble]

1. And here's Israel's reaction...

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel said Israel had summoned the Costa Rican charge d'affaires and instructed its ambassador to convey a message to San Jose.

"We would like to express our disappointment over this regretful decision of the government of Costa Rica to establish full diplomatic relations with the 'state of Palestine,'" Mekel said. "This act of Costa Rica totally contradicts the traditional friendship that characterized its relations with Israel since its establishment."

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/26/news/Costa-Rica-Israel.php

[Englander]

2. From jpost-world -

J'lem nixes Costa Rica meeting after 'Palestine' recognition

Israel postponed a bilateral meeting in Costa Rica on Tuesday that was to be headed by Deputy Foreign Minister Majallie Whbee, to protest Costa Rica's decision to commission an ambassador to "Palestine."

Foreign Ministry spokesman Arye Mekel said the postponement also included a meeting that Whbee was scheduled to have on Wednesday with Costa Rican President Oscar Arias. No new date for the bilateral dialogue was scheduled.

Mekel said the decision was meant as a protest at the Costa Rican government's decision on February 5 to send an ambassador to "Palestine," thereby granting formal recognition to a Palestinian state.

While numerous countries have ambassadors posted to "Palestine," Costa Rica's move raised Israel's ire because of the timing.

"By doing this now they are going against the direction set by the Quartet, going against the road map," Mekel said. "There was a need to show a protest."

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1203847474602&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull