Ireland, Norway, and Spain have announced they will formally recognise a Palestinian state from 28 May.<\/p>\n
Spain and Ireland said the decision was not against Israel nor in favour of Hamas, but rather in support of peace.<\/p>\n
Israel reacted angrily, warning the move would mean more instability in the region and recalling its ambassadors to all three countries.<\/p>\n
Both Hamas and its rival, the Palestinian Authority, have welcomed the recognition.<\/p>\n
Norway was first to make its announcement Wednesday in a move coordinated with the other two countries.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr St\u00f8re said in an address that the move was “in support of moderate forces that are on a retreating front in a protracted and cruel conflict”.<\/p>\n
“This is an investment in the only solution that can bring lasting peace in the Middle East,” he added, referring to the so-called “two state solution” which would see an Israeli and a Palestinian state existing peacefully next to each other.<\/p>\n
Ireland and Spain followed suit soon after.<\/p>\n
“Today, we state clearly our unambiguous support for the equal right to security, dignity, and self-determination for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples,” Irish Foreign Minister, Miche\u00e1l Martin, said.<\/p>\n
The country’s Prime Minister, Simon Harris, later stressed that “Hamas is not the Palestinian people”.<\/p>\n
“Today’s decision to recognise Palestine is taken to help create a peaceful future,” he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Harris’s comments were echoed by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who said the move was “not against Israel, is not against the Jews”.<\/p>\n
“It is not in favour of Hamas which is something that has been said. This recognition is not against anyone, it is in favour of peace and coexistence.”<\/p>\n
Israel reacted to the announcements with fury. Foreign Minister Israel Katz<\/a><\/span><\/span> said he was ordering the immediate return of the Israeli ambassadors to all three countries for “consultations”.<\/p>\n “Israel will not go over this in silence – there will be other serious consequences,” he said.<\/p>\n He also said that the three countries’ ambassadors in Israel will be summoned for “reprimand talks”, during which they will be shown a video of the abduction of female Israeli soldiers on 7 October.<\/p>\n Hamas, which controls Gaza and is currently at war with Israel<\/a>, said Wednesday’s announcements would be a “turning point in the international position on the Palestinian issue”.<\/p>\n In a statement to AFP, Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas figure, said the “brave resistance” of the Palestinian people was behind the move.<\/p>\n Hamas’s rival, the Palestinian Authority (PA) – which controls parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank – said Norway, Spain and Ireland had demonstrated their “unwavering commitment” to “delivering the long overdue justice to the Palestinian people.”<\/p>\n The issue of Palestinian statehood has vexed the international community for decades.<\/p>\n Since the 7 October attacks, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has doubled down on his opposition to such a plan, saying the creation of a Palestinian state would compromise Israel’s security.<\/p>\n Israel’s foreign ministry said in a post on social media on Tuesday that recognising a Palestinian state would lead to more “terrorism, instability in the region and jeopardize any prospects for peace”.<\/p>\n About 1,200 people were killed in the unprecedented attacks on 7 October, when Hamas gunmen burst into Israel. They took 252 others back to Gaza as hostages.<\/p>\n Since then, more than 35,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Israel’s Gaza offensive, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.<\/p>\n Most of the world already recognises Palestine as a state. Earlier this month, 143 of the 193 members of the United Nations General Assembly voted in favour of Palestine joining the UN, something only states can do.<\/p>\n Before Wednesday’s announcements, only nine European countries supported Palestinian statehood and most of those took the decision in 1988 when they were part of the Soviet bloc.<\/p>\n Most other European countries, and the US, still believe recognition should come only as part of a long-term two-state solution to the conflict.<\/p>\n Slovenia and Malta have also said recently that they were considering a formal recognition.<\/p>\n Norway’s prime minister also said on Wednesday that he hoped the recognition of Palestinian statehood by the three countries would bring renewed momentum to the peace talks.<\/p>\n Long-running negotiations in Cairo aimed at securing a truce and further hostage releases are currently stalled.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate. Earlier this week, the UN said food distribution in the southern Gaza city of Rafah had been suspended<\/a> due to a lack of supplies and insecurity.<\/p>\n The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) recently applied for arrest warrants for Mr Netanyahu and Hamas’s leader in Gaza,<\/a> Yahya Sinwar, for war crimes. Both Israel and Hamas have condemned the move.<\/p>\n Israel says an offensive in Rafah is needed to eliminate Hamas but the international community has warned against it, saying it will greatly exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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