North Korea–Palestine relations

Palestine	North Korea

North Korea–Palestine relations are the bilateral relations betweenNorth Korea andPalestine. Since 1988, North Korea has regarded the State of Palestine as the sole legitimate government of thehistoric Palestinian territory, excluding theGolan Heights, which it recognizes asSyrian territory and is under Israeli control.Israel also regardsSouth Korea as the sole legitimate government of theKorean Peninsula and has never recognized North Korea.^[1] North Korea does not recognize Israel and regards it as an "imperialist satellite state" of theUnited States.^[2]

North Korea's relations with thePalestine Liberation Organization began in 1966.^[3]Kim Il Sung andYasser Arafat had a very close relationship^{[citation needed]} and North Korea provided aid to the Palestinians. North Korean support for the PLO began in the 1970s and included the supply of small amounts of arms and military aid. North Korean arms in the Middle East included aid to several leftist factions and revolutionary movements such as the PLO and thePopular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and theDemocratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. North Korean arms and aid to Palestinian factions continued until the opening up ofChina underDeng Xiaoping and political reforms in theSoviet Union underMikhail Gorbachev during the 1980s.

After thefall of the Soviet Union, North Korean involvement in thePalestinian-Israeli conflict declined and North Korea shifted from the exporting of revolution to pragmatism.^[4] Since then North Korea has continued to support the Palestinian cause and has strongly condemned every Israeli action in the region. During theGaza War (2008–09), North Korea harshly condemned Israeli actions. A Foreign Ministry spokesman denounced the killing of unarmed civilians and called it a crime against humanity as well as a threat to the Middle East Peace Process.^[5] On the floor of theUN General Assembly the North Korean permanent representativeSin Son-ho said that North Korea "fully supported Palestinian Arab struggle to expel Israeli Judaic returnees from their territory and restore their right toself-determination."^[6]

After the2010 Gaza flotilla raid the North Korean Foreign Ministry called the attack a "crime against humanity" which was perpetrated under the guidance of the United States. The North Korean statement also expressed full support for the self-determination of the Palestinian Arabs.^[7]

During the2014 Israel–Gaza conflict, on 15 July, the Foreign Ministry issued a statement that read: "We bitterly denounce Israel's brutal killings of many defenseless Palestinians through indiscriminate military attacks on peaceable residential areas in Palestine as they are unpardonable crimes against humanity."^[8]

North Korea blamed Israel for the start of theGaza war. An editorial published in the state-run newspaperRodong Sinmun stated: "The international community believes that this clash was the result of Israel's constant criminal acts against the Palestinian people, and that the fundamental way out is to build an independent Palestinian state."^[9] South Korean intelligence later reported thatKim Jong Un had ordered a "wide range of support" for the Palestinian Arab people.^[10]

• North Korea–Israel relations
• Foreign relations of North Korea
• Foreign relations of Palestine

• North Korea–Palestine relations
• Bilateral relations of North Korea
• Bilateral relations of Palestine

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