IRIA News

Norway, Spain, and Ireland announced on May 22, 2024, that they would officially recognize Palestine as a state starting from May 28. The largely symbolic diplomatic move has sparked an outrage in Israel.

Norway was the first of the three European nations to make its announcement on Wednesday, in a move coordinated with Ireland and Spain. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre stated that this decision was “in support of moderate forces that are on a retreating front in a protracted and cruel conflict”.

The Norwegian prime minister emphasized that the recognition of Palestine’s statehood “is an investment in the only solution that can bring lasting peace in the Middle East”, which envisions Israeli and Palestinian states coexisting peacefully side by side.

The Palestinian people have a fundamental, independent right to self-determination. Both Israelis and Palestinians have a right to live in peace in their respective states. There will be no peace in the Middle East without a two-state solution. There can be no two-state solution without a Palestinian state. In other words, a Palestinian state is a prerequisite for achieving peace in the Middle East,” Norwegian Prime Minister Støre added.

Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Espen Barth Eide said, “Norway will continue to support the Palestinian state-building project. We must strengthen the Palestinian Authority under the leadership of Prime Minister Muhammed Mustafa, and we must work for the Palestinian Authority to govern in Gaza following a ceasefire and for there to be one Palestinian government. The goal is to achieve a Palestinian state that is politically cohesive, and that derives from the Palestinian Authority.”

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told parliament in Madrid, “We hope that our recognition and our reasons contribute to other Western countries following this path, because the more we are, the more strength we will have to impose a ceasefire, to achieve the release of the hostages held by Hamas, to relaunch the political process that can lead to a peace agreement.”

In Dublin, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris stated that Palestine deserves the same right to be recognized as a sovereign state that Ireland received after its war of independence from Britain over a century ago. He stressed that the decision was not against Israel nor in favor of Hamas, but rather in support of peace.

“Hamas is not the Palestinian people”, Prime Minister Harris stressed. “Today’s decision to recognize Palestine is taken to help create a peaceful future,” he added.

Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin, standing beside Harris, said recognition of Palestinian statehood should spur Israel to reopen negotiations with the Palestinian Authority on level terms. “We believe that the parties must, in the future, meet as equals, as two states, with the responsibility to come to a final settlement in direct negotiations,” Martin said.

“Today, Ireland, Norway and Spain are announcing that we recognize the state of Palestine.”

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris calls it a “historic day for Palestine.” 🇵🇸🤝🇮🇪🇳🇴🇪🇸 pic.twitter.com/1cv1SnlV6T

— IRIA (@IRIA_Research) May 22, 2024

Harris’s comments were also echoed by Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez, who said the move was neither against Israel, nor against the Jews. “It is not in favor of Hamas which is something that has been said. This recognition is not against anyone, it is in favor of peace and coexistence.”

Israel’s reaction

Israel responded to the announcements with fury and Foreign Minister Israel Katz ordered the immediate recall of the Israeli ambassadors from all three countries for “consultations.” He threatened that “Israel will not go over this in silence, there will be other serious consequences.”

“Today’s decision sends a message to the Palestinians and the world: Terrorism pays,” said Katz. “After the Hamas terror organization carried out the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, after committing heinous sexual crimes witnessed by the world, these countries chose to reward Hamas and Iran by recognizing a Palestinian state.”

Katz also said that the ambassadors of three countries will be summoned for “reprimand talks”, during which they will be shown a video of the abduction of female Israeli soldiers on 7 October.

Furthermore, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced his intention to halt the transfer of tax funds to the Palestinian Authority (PA). Under international law, Israel, which occupies the West Bank unlawfully, is obligated to transfer taxes collected from the Palestinian territory to the PA, which administers it.

Israel’s right-winged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently opposed the idea of a sovereign Palestinian state, despite the “two-state solution” remaining the policy objective of Israel’s closest ally, the United States. However, Washington opposes recognizing Palestine without an agreement reached through negotiations.

President Joe Biden “is a strong supporter of a two-state solution and has been throughout his career,” a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said. “He believes a Palestinian state should be realized through direct negotiations between the parties, not through unilateral recognition.”

Palestine welcomes decision

The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, and Hamas, which has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007, welcomed the decision. However, the announcements and recognition of Palestine’s statehood are unlikely to have any impact on the war in Gaza or the long-running conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.

Leader of the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, welcomed the decisions and called on other nations to “recognize our legitimate rights and support the struggle of our people for liberation and independence.”

PM Mustafa welcomes announcements from Spain, Ireland, and Norway on recognition of State of #Palestine. He calls on the rest of world countries to recognize the State of Palestine.@IrlRepRamallah @NorwayPalestine @SpainMFA pic.twitter.com/C6esM9bYKw

— PM of Palestine (@PalestinePMO) May 22, 2024

In recent weeks, Ireland has held a series of meetings with the governments of Spain, Slovenia, Belgium, Norway, and Malta to discuss the timing of recognizing Palestinian statehood. These countries broadly share Ireland’s view that the EU as a whole should recognize Palestinian statehood.

Around 144 out of the 193 member states of the United Nations recognize Palestine as a state, including most nations in the global south, as well as Russia, China, and India. While most countries in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia recognize Palestinian statehood, notable exceptions include the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Germany, France, and several other Western European states. Among the nations that have recognized Palestine this year following Israel’s attack on Gaza are the Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and Barbados.

Only a few of the 27 EU members, primarily former Communist countries, recognize Palestine as a state including Cyprus and Sweden. Recently, Britain, Australia, and EU members Malta and Slovenia have indicated that they may soon follow suit.