Diplomatic rows have been sparked with Israel as it was announced on Wednesday by leaders of Norway, Ireland, and Spain that their countries will soon recognise Palestinian states within days.
In a joint move with Ireland, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez revealed that their countries would recognise Palestine on May 28th, 2024. The leader of Ireland said he expected other countries to join the support of Palestinian states in the coming weeks.
Many European Union countries have indicated interest in the past weeks. They are all planning to declare their recognition of the Palestinian state, and some argue that a two-state solution is important for sustaining peace in the state.
At a press conference, Gahr said, “There cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition.”
Taoiseach Harris in Ireland called the recognition “a historic and important day for Ireland and for Palestine.”
The recognition is also seen as a belief in “freedom and justice”, and that peace can only be secured by “the free will of a free people.”
When Ireland’s prime minister, Simon Harris, arrived at Stormont Castle in Belfast on May 3, 2024, he spoke to Spain’s lower house. He said that Spain’s recognition was a good decision“for peace, for justice and for coherence.”
“Spain will be accompanied by other European countries,” he said. “The more there are of us, the sooner we will achieve a ceasefire. We are not going to give up.”
Reacting to this, Jerusalem called back all its ambassadors from Ireland, Spain and Norway for an urgent meeting.
“I am sending an unequivocal message… Israel will not let this go quietly,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz said.
Spain will recognise the Palestinian state on May 28th, 2024. Spain’s prime minister announced this during a speech.
The envoys of the three countries in Israel were summoned and shown footage of the kidnapping of five female Israeli soldiers on October 7 during Hamas’s assault.
The footage will “underscore to them what a twisted decision their governments made,” Katz said in a statement. “Their step will have severe consequences.”
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