The leaders of Ireland, Norway, and Spain said their countries will formally recognise Palestine as a state for the sake of “peace in the Middle East “.
Ireland’s Prime Minister Simon Harris said his country would also recognise a Palestinian state.
“Today, Ireland, Norway, and Spain are announcing that we recognise the state of Palestine,” Harris said at a news conference. “Each of us will now undertake whatever national steps are necessary to give effect to that decision.”
“I’m confident that further countries will join us in taking this important step in the coming weeks,” he added.
In a related development, Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said on Wednesday that it was in Israel’s best interest for a two-state solution, adding that the recognition would come on May 28, 2024.
“There cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition,” he said.
Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday that the country’s council of ministers would also recognise an independent Palestinian state on May 28.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen
While addressing the Spanish parliament, Sanchez accused his Israeli counterpart, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of putting the two-state solution in “danger” with his policy of “pain and destruction” in Gaza.
Reports suggest that Malta and Slovenia were also expected to make similar announcements.
“This is a momentous occasion for the Palestinians. It’s perhaps unsurprising that Norway have taken the lead on this because they were behind the Oslo Accords – the agreement in 1993 that really did two things: It recognised the Palestine Liberation Organisation, the PLO, as the legitimate representatives of the Palestinian people,” Khan added.
It also a major boost for the Palestinian Authority, which had limited powers within the occupied West Bank.
Israel has already announced it will deploy a moderate force within Gaza for the ‘day after’.
In its response, Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz has ordered Israeli ambassadors to Ireland and Norway to return to Israel immediately.
“Ireland and Norway intend to send a message today to the Palestinians and the whole world: terrorism pays,” Katz said.
Israel has said recognition of Palestine by European nations is an aggression towards its sovereignty.