Ireland, Norway and Spain have announced their decision to formally recognise Palestine as a state amid the raging Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. As a result of the decision, the Jewish state has recalled its ambassadors to Ireland and Norway with immediate effect.
On Wednesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said, "I’m sending a clear and unequivocal message to Ireland and Norway: Israel will not remain silent in the face of those undermining its sovereignty and endangering its security."
He also warned Spain, whose Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in an announcement today that his nation will also recognise a Palestinian state from May 28, that "a similar step will be taken against it".
"The Irish-Norwegian folly does not deter us; we are determined to achieve our goals: restoring security to our citizens, dismantling Hamas, and bringing the hostages home. There are no more just causes than these," Katz added.
The latest development comes as the war in Gaza has continued unabated, triggering a humanitarian catastrophe in the Hamas-held enclave, with thousands dead ir injured, while millions have been displaced from their homes and are on the brink of starvation.
In an address to MPs in Spain's Congress today, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said, "Echoing the majority sentiment of the Spanish people, next Tuesday, May 28, Spain will approve the recognition of the State of Palestine in the Council of Ministers. The time has come to move from words to action. For peace, justice and coherence."
On his part, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said on Wednesday that a "two-State solution is the only credible path to peace and security for Israel, for Palestine and for their peoples".
"Today Ireland recognises the state of Palestine. We believe that recognition will contribute to peace and reconciliation in the Middle East," he added.
Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said the government will "formally recognise the State of Palestine on May 28". "Today, we state clearly our unambiguous support for the equal right to security, dignity, and self-determination for the Palestinian and Israeli peoples," he added.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said today that his nation will recognise an independent Palestinian state in the hope that this will help to bring peace with Israel.
"In the middle of a war, with tens of thousands of dead and injured, we must keep alive the only thing that can provide a safe home for both Israelis and Palestinians: two states that can live in peace with each other," Reuters news agency quoted Stoere as saying at a press conference.
European Union members Slovenia and Malta have also indicated in recent weeks that they plan to make the recognition, arguing a two-state solution is essential for lasting peace in the region.
A total of 143 out of 193 member-states of the UN have recognised a Palestinian state. The UK and the US are among nations that do not formally recognise a Palestinian state.
Israel does not recognise Palestinian statehood and the current Benjamin Netanyahu-led government opposes the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. It argues such a state would be a threat to Israel's existence.
Two days ago, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announced that he was seeking arrest warrants for both Israeli and Hamas leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Gaza offensive since it erupted in October 2023.
On Tuesday, Netanyahu denied allegations that he was starving Palestinians in Gaza as a method of war, calling the court's decision is based on a “pack of lies". “Military action that we take against Hamas is in fact the way to get these hostages because without military pressure, basically, without, you know, squeezing them, Hamas is not going to give up anything,” he told CNN.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon has said in a latest statement that none of the aid unloaded from the US-built temporary pier off Gaza's coast has been delivered to the broader Palestinian population, as Washington works with the UN and Israel to identify safe delivery routes, CNN reported.
