As FM Sa’ar says PA ‘doesn’t deserve a state’, Danish FM Lars Rasmussen says country not yet ready to recognize Palestine

Following a meeting between Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and his Danish counterpart, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, the latter said that Denmark is “not ready to recognize a Palestinian state.” 

Sa’ar had welcomed Rasmussen to Jerusalem for discussion on the situation in Gaza and the push for a recognition of a Palestinian state, which the Israeli government opposes. 

Pleasure to host Danish FM @larsloekke again in Jerusalem. We had a constructive conversation on the situation in Gaza and the region.
I said that current attempts to recognize a "Palestinian state" are a huge mistake, which harm the chances of achieving peace.
Europe is facing… pic.twitter.com/LI45Jqtgzh

— Gideon Sa'ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) September 7, 2025

In his comments alongside Rasmussen, Sa’ar said the European push for recognition of a Palestinian state is “a tremendous mistake.” 

“I told my friend that those states like France and the UK that pushed their so-called recognition of a so-called Palestinian state have made a tremendous mistake, because you cannot disconnect the issue of statehood, which is one of the final status issues,” Sa’ar remarked, noting that the Oslo Accords tie the declaration and recognition of a Palestinian state to the negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian sides. 

Sa’ar has previously warned against outside attempts to impose the two-state solution on the Israeli-Palestinian relations. 

"In the international community, it's become a slogan, two-state solution. Who said it's the solution? It's probably the problem. I say it's the two-state illusion," Sa’ar stated in mid-August, following announcements by France, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia of their intention to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. 

Shortly after Sa’ar’s comments in August, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being a “problem” for Israel and himself. 

Despite Frederiksen’s comments, the Danish government has resisted calls to recognize a Palestinian state at the present, noting that the proper conditions are not there. 

However, while Rasmussen reaffirmed his country’s decision not to recognize a Palestinian state, he pushed back against recent “strong statements from Israeli ministers”, saying, “Israel does not have a veto over any Danish recognition of a Palestinian state.” 

“Then it goes without saying that we have to take the decision right back to ourselves, so to speak,” Rasmussen said during his remarks. “That’s why we have made it clear that we will not give Israel or others a veto on the Danish position.” 

He affirmed his country’s preconditions for such recognition, which he said include a "disarmed Palestinian state, recognizing Israel, transparency, democracy, etc.” 

Foreign Minister Sa’ar said that recognition of a Palestinian state cannot be disconnected from the peace process. 

“You cannot disconnect statehood from peace, because if you do that, it will make it even harder to reach peace. A peace agreement in the future can happen only in a bilateral context,” Sa’ar stated. 

He continued by saying that unilateral recognition by other states would “be a present for Hamas.” 

Hamas leaders have released statements saying that they view the recognition by France, the UK, Canada, and others as a success of the Oct. 7, 2023, invasion. 

Sa’ar stated that such unilateral recognition “will push Israel also to have unilateral decisions, and that would be a grave mistake.” 

The foreign minister also stated that the Palestinian Authority “does not deserve” a state based on its present behavior, including its support for terror. 

“Those states that support statehood for the Palestinians now, ignore the most important fact, that demonstrate that the PA does not deserve, according to what they do, they don’t deserve a state,” Sa’ar said, before going on to note the PA’s support for its “pay-for-slay” program, as well as the use of inciting curriculum in its schools.