By Lucy Adautin
Ireland, Norway, and Spain have officially recognized Palestine as an independent state, leading Israel to recall its ambassadors from two of these European nations.
On Wednesday, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris commented on the development, stating “Today Ireland, Norway and Spain are announcing that we recognise the state of Palestine, each of us will undertake whatever national steps are necessary to give effect to that decision. I am confident that further countries will join us in taking this important step in the coming weeks.”
The Irish government maintains that recognizing Palestine bolsters a two-state solution, deemed essential for enduring peace in the region, which has been the focal point of Israel’s offensive against Hamas since October.
Harris added ,”It is a statement of unequivocal support for a two-state solution, the only credible path to peace and security for Israel, for Palestine and for their peoples.”
After Harris’s statement in Dublin, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Norway’s foreign minister, Espen Barth Eide, said both countries will recognise a Palestinian state from 28 May.
Sanchez said it was clear that “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not have a project of peace for Palestine, even if the fight against the terrorist group Hamas is legitimate”.
READ ALSO: Ireland, Norland, Spain, Recognise Palestine As Independent State
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store added: “There cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition. The terror has been committed by Hamas and militant groups who are not supporters of a two-state solution and the state of Israel. Palestine has a fundamental right to an independent state.”
After the announcement, Israel’s foreign minister ordered the country’s ambassadors from Ireland and Norway to immediately return home.
Posting on X, Israel Katz said, “Today’s decision sends a message to the Palestinians and the world: Terrorism pays.”
He said the recognition could impede efforts to return Israel’s hostages being held in Gaza and makes a ceasefire less likely by “rewarding the jihadists of Hamas and Iran”.
“Israel will not remain silent in the face of those undermining its sovereignty and endangering its security,” he added.
The recognition comes amid Israeli assaults on Gaza’s northern and southern borders, displacing hundreds of thousands, limiting aid flow, and increasing famine risk in the enclave.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the recognition of Palestine as a state and urged other nations to do the same.
In a statement via the official Wafa news agency, Abbas said the decision affirms “the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination” and bolsters efforts to achieve a two-state solution with Israel.
