By Lucy Adautin
On Tuesday, Norway officially started recognizing an independent Palestinian State, with Spain and Ireland expected to do the same later in the day, despite Israel’s opposition.
“Norway’s formal recognition of Palestine as a state will take effect on Tuesday, May 28, 2024,” announced the Norwegian Foreign Ministry in a statement.
“A number of other like-minded European countries will also formally recognise Palestine on that same date,” the ministry added.
A week ago, three European countries announced their decision simultaneously, with their leaders expressing hope that other nations would join the initiative.
They believed this move would enhance prospects for peace following over seven months of conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement, Hamas.
“Recognition by various European countries alone is not enough to guarantee the sustainability of a Palestinian state,” stated Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide.
“By recognising a Palestinian state, we are supporting the Arab peace plan, which has been further developed by key actors in the region in the wake of October 7. This joint decision reflects the determination of our three countries to make a fundamental paradigm shift,” said Ireland’s Michael Martin at a joint news conference of the three countries’ foreign ministers on Monday.
“We have recognised both the State of Israel and the State of Palestine, precisely because we want to see a future of normalised relations between the two peoples. A two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict envisages an independent Palestinian state that exists peacefully side by side with Israel. Netanyahu opposes a two-state solution, as does Hamas’’, Martin said.
The state of Palestine is recognized by the majority of United Nations member states.
However, influential Western nations like the United States, Britain, and most EU countries do not acknowledge an independent Palestinian state.
