Norway, Ireland, and Spain have officially announced their decision to recognize a Palestinian state. The formal recognition is set to take place on May 28.
“Today, Ireland, Norway and Spain are announcing that we recognize the state of Palestine,” said Irish PM Simon Harris.
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, announcing the recognition of the Palestine State said, “We are going to recognise Palestine for many reasons and we can sum that up in three words: peace, justice and consistency.”
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said that a Palestinian state was “a prerequisite for achieving peace in the Middle East.”
What does this coordinated announcement mean?
Norway, which played a pivotal role in brokering the Oslo Accords that initiated the peace process in the 1990s, was the first to declare its decision. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre stated, “there cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition.” Norway has been involved in peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine for decades, notably hosting the initial phase of the Oslo process.
The purpose behind the move of European nations aims to support a two-state solution and foster peace in the Middle East. European nations also recognized Israel's right to exist securely and condemned further military actions in Rafah by Israel and rocket attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah.
They also stressed that the recognition supports coexistence and is not anti-Israel or Anti-Jews. However, this move significantly deepens Israel’s isolation more than seven months into its ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.
“History will see,” says Israel's Foreign Minister
Israel has reacted strongly, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz ordered the immediate recall of ambassadors from Dublin, Madrid, and Oslo.
He said in a statement: “I am sending a clear message today , Israel will not hold back against those who undermine its sovereignty and endanger its security.”
“History will remember that Spain, Norway, and Ireland decided to award a gold medal to Hamas murderers and rapists,” he added.
Meanwhile, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem that is sacred to Muslims and Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount.
“We will not even allow a statement about a Palestinian state,” he said.
Netanyahu’s government opposes Palestinian statehood and says the conflict can only be resolved through direct negotiations, which last collapsed over 15 years ago.
Palestine welcomes the decision
Palestinian officials welcoming the decision Palestinians welcomed the announcements as an affirmation of their decades-long quest for statehood in east Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, territories Israel seized in the 1967 Mideast war and still controls.
They said, “This step reflects Spain’s keenness to support the Palestinian people and their inalienable and legitimate rights to their land and homeland,” as reported by Palestinian news agency Wafa.
President Mahmoud Abbas,leader of parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, welcomed the decisions and called on other nations to “recognize our legitimate rights and support the struggle of our people for liberation and independence.”
140 countries recognize Palestine as State
Out of the 193 member states of the UN, over 140 have formally recognized the organization since 1988. However, they only include a small number of the 27 members of the European Union.
Although Australia and the UK have hinted in recent months that they might soon follow suit, France has for the time being ruled out making a similar move. Stéphane Séjourné, the minister of Europe and foreign affairs, stated in a statement to Agence France-Presse: “France does not consider that the conditions have been present to date for this decision to have a real impact in this process.”
According to a White House spokesperson who spoke to Reuters on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden thought that negotiations should be used to establish a Palestinian state instead of unilateral recognition.
"The president has always been a proponent of a two-state solution and continues to do so. The spokesperson for the National Security Council stated, "He feels that direct talks between the parties, not through unilateral recognition, should be used to realize a Palestinian state.
The establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel has long been seen by the international community as the only realistic way to end the conflict. Over 500,000 Israelis currently reside in the numerous Jewish settlements that Israel built in the occupied West Bank. Israel also annexed East Jerusalem and regards it as part of its capital.
The 3 million Palestinians living in the West Bank are subject to what appears to be unrestricted Israeli military rule, while the settlers are citizens of Israel. According to Netanyahu, Israel will continue to be in charge of Gaza's security even if Hamas is defeated.
It was on October 7, when Israel began its military campaign in Gaza following the murder of at least 1,200 people and the abduction of over 250 more by terrorists under the leadership of Hamas. Along with that, 10 individuals, including four women and four children, who were seeking refuge in central Gaza were killed by an Israeli airstrike early on Wednesday.
Overall, it is anticipated that this historic decision will strengthen worldwide support for the Palestinian while simultaneously straining ties between Europe and Israel.
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