Norway, Ireland and Spain said on Wednesday they are recognizing a Palestinian state, in a historic but largely symbolic move that deepens Israel’s isolation more than seven months into its grinding war against Hamas in Gaza.
The formal recognition will be made on May 28. The development is a step toward a long-held Palestinian aspiration that came against the backdrop of international outrage over the civilian death toll and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip following Israel’s offensive there.
Several European Union countries have in the past weeks indicated that they plan to make the recognition, arguing a two-state solution is essential for lasting peace in the region. The decision may generate momentum for the recognition of a Palestinian state by other EU countries and could spur further steps at the United Nations, deepening Israel’s isolation.
Norway, which is not a member of the EU but mirrors its moves, has been an ardent supporter of a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. The country helped broker the Oslo accords during the peace process in the 1990s.
“The terror has been committed by Hamas and militant groups who are not supporters of a two-state solution and the state of Israel,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said. “Palestine has a fundamental right to an independent state.”
Since the unprecedented attack by Hamas-led militants on Israel on Oct. 7, Israeli forces have led assaults on the northern and southern edges of the Gaza Strip in May, causing a new exodus of hundreds of thousands of people, and sharply restricted the flow of aid, raising the risk of famine.
In making his announcement, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said the move was co-ordinated with Spain and Norway — and that it was a “historic and important day for Ireland and for Palestine.”
‘Not against the Israeli people’
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez made the expected announcement to the nation’s parliament. He had spent months touring European and Middle Eastern countries to garner support for the recognition, as well as for a possible cease-fire in Gaza.
“This recognition is not against anyone, it is not against the Israeli people,” said Sanchez, while acknowledging that it will most likely cause diplomatic tensions with Israel. “It is an act in favour of peace, justice and moral consistency.”
Sanchez argued that the move is needed to support the viability of a two-state solution that he said “is in serious danger” with the war in Gaza.
Israel’s government harshly condemned the decision taken by the three countries.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz recalled its ambassadors from the three countries and summoned their envoys in Israel. Katz said on social media the ambassadors from the three countries “will watch a video of the brutal and cruel kidnapping of our daughters by Hamas terrorists, to emphasize the distorted decision their governments have made. “
“History will remember that Spain, Norway, and Ireland decided to award a gold medal to Hamas murderers and rapists,” he said. He also said the announcement would undermine talks aimed at a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza that came to a standstill earlier this month.
Abbas, Hamas praise 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. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, speaking after Norway’s announcement, welcomed the move and called on other countries to follow.
In a statement carried by the official Wafa news agency, Abbas said Norway’s decision will enshrine “the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination” and support efforts to bring about a two-state solution with Israel.
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Hamas also welcomed the decisions and called on other nations to “recognize our legitimate rights.” Hamas, which Western countries including Canada view as a terrorist group, does not recognize Israel’s existence but has indicated it might agree to a state on the 1967 lines, at least on an interim basis.
The announcements are unlikely to have any impact on the ground. Israel annexed east Jerusalem and considers it part of its capital, and in the occupied West Bank it has built scores of Jewish settlements that are now home to over 500,000 Israelis.
The settlers have Israeli citizenship, while the three million Palestinians in the West Bank live under seemingly open-ended Israeli military rule. In Gaza, the war is still raging, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will maintain open-ended security control of the territory even after any defeat of Hamas.
Recognition in most countries
Some 140 countries have already recognized a Palestinian state — more than two-thirds of United Nations members — but none of the major Western powers has done so. This move could put more pressure on continental heavyweights France and Germany to reconsider their position.
The United States and Britain, among others, have backed the idea of an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel as a solution to the Middle East’s most intractable conflict. They insist, however, that Palestinian independence should come as part of a negotiated settlement.
In Ottawa, a non-binding motion concerning Palestinian statehood introduced by the NDP was carried 204 to 117 in March. It passed after a Liberal government amendment stipulating that Canada will “work with international partners” to “pursue the goal of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East,” and work “towards the establishment of the State of Palestine as part of a negotiated two-state solution.”