Norway, Ireland And Spain To Recognize Palestinian State In Blow To Israel
Norway, Ireland and Spain announced on May 22 that they will recognize a Palestinian state within a few days dealing another blow to Israel and its ongoing war on the Gaza Strip.
The official recognition by the three nations of an independent Palestinian state will take effect on May 28, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told a news conference, according to the Reuters news agency.
“There cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition,” Gahr Store said at the press conference.
Meanwhile in Ireland, leader Taoiseach Harris called the upcoming recognition “a historic and important day for Ireland and for Palestine.”
The decision comes from a belief in “freedom and justice,” and that peace can only be secured by “the free will of a free people,” the Irish leader explained.
Harris added that he thinks that other countries will join Norway, Spain and Ireland in recognizing a Palestinian state “in the weeks ahead.”
Speaking to Spain’s lower house, Sanchez said that Spain’s recognition is a decision “for peace, for justice and for coherence.”
“We know that this initiative won’t bring back the past and the lives lost in Palestine, but we believe that it will give the Palestinians two things that are very important for their present and their future: dignity and hope,” Sánchez said.
“This recognition is not against anyone, it is not against the Israeli people,” Sánchez added, while acknowledging that it will most likely cause diplomatic tensions with Tel Aviv. “It is an act in favor of peace, justice and moral consistency.”
Sánchez also 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.
“I have spent weeks and months speaking with leaders inside and outside of the region and if one thing is clear is 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,” the Spanish leader said.
Israel responded to the historic announcements by recalling its ambassadors from Ireland and Norway for immediate consultations and threatening to do the same with its envoy to Spain.
“I am sending an unequivocal message to Ireland and Norway — Israel will not let this go quietly,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz said.
Meanwhile, the Palestine Liberation Organization, seen worldwide as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, called the moves by Norway, Ireland and Spain “historical moments in which the free world triumphs for truth and justice,” according to AFP, citing a post on X from Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary general of the the organization’s executive committee.
In addition, Bassem Naim, a senior official of Hamas, which is the de-facto ruler of Gaza, said that the “brave resistance” of the Palestinian people spurred Norway, Ireland and Spain to recognize a Palestinian state.
“These successive recognitions are the direct result of this brave resistance and the legendary steadfastness of the Palestinian people … We believe this will be a turning point in the international position on the Palestinian issue,” that senior Hamas political bureau member told AFP.
Israel launched a destructive war on Gaza in response to the October 7 Hamas-led surprise attack, which claimed the lives of more than 1,200 people and saw the abduction of more than 200 others.
So far, the war has killed over 35,500 Palestinains and left nearly 80,000 wounded. Most of the victims are women and children. In addition, most of the Strip has been destroyed, including vital infrastructures like hospitals, water stations and bakeries.
Despite wiping out much of Gaza and displacing most of its population, Israel has so far failed to achieve any of the goals it set for the war.
On top of its military failure, Israel is now facing unprecedented political failure. The recognition of the Palestinian state by Norway, Ireland and Spain will likely be just the start of a series of political challenges that Israel will face if it insisted on continuing its war on Gaza, which many around the world now consider it to be an attempt to genocide Palestinian people there.
Originally posted on SouthFront
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