The Bahamas Recognize Palestine as State

On Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Bahamas announced formally recognizing Palestine as a state.

In an official statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Bahamas said: "The Government of The Bahamas believes that recognition of the State of Palestine strongly demonstrates The Bahamas' commitment to the principles espoused in the Charter of the United Nations and to the right of self-determination of peoples as articulated in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), and of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)."

The statement read: "The Bahamas became an independent nation in 1973 as an act of self-determination. Therefore, The Bahamas supports the legal right of the Palestinian people of self-determination "to freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development." (Common Article 1 of the ICCPR and ICESCR).

"The Bahamas has, in the past, endorsed the two-state solution as clearly articulated in the United Nations Security Council Resolution 242 (1967) on a Peaceful and Accepted Settlement of the Middle East Situation," it added.

After this decision, all fourteen independent members of CARISOM recognized Palestine as a State.