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Madrid – The governments of Spain, Ireland, and Norway announced this Wednesday the recognition of the State of Palestine, a decision that will take effect on May 28 in all three cases and comes after weeks of contacts to gain support within the European Union (EU) for the realization of the two-state solution.
The announcements made today by Spain, Norway, and Ireland bring to 146 the number of United Nations member states that recognize the State of Palestine.
Within the EU, France has ruled out immediate recognition of Palestine; Germany has stated that “there are no shortcuts” to the two-state solution, which will require broader negotiations, and Italy has shown favor but has advocated that progress should come from negotiations between the parties.
For their part, Malta and Slovenia had discussed with Spain and Ireland the recognition of the Palestinian State, but they are still considering taking the step.
The decision adopted today by these three countries has led the government of Israel to call its ambassadors in Spain, Ireland, and Norway for consultations. Additionally, in the case of Spain, the Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, has convened the Spanish ambassador, Ana Solomon, at the Ministry.
“They have decided to award a gold medal to the murderers of Hamas,” the Israeli minister denounced in a statement, in which his department has specified that the Spanish ambassador will be shown the video of the terrorist group’s attack last October 7 against Israel.
On the other hand, the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, has praised the recognition and emphasized that it is a contribution to the realization of the two-state solution in order to end the conflict with Israel.
For its part, Hamas has praised the decision and highlighted that it is “an important step” towards the establishment of “an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital”.
The announcements from Ireland, Norway, and Spain were almost simultaneous. The first to announce it was the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Store, who stated that “there can be no peace in the Middle East unless the Palestinians and Israelis have their own state and a two-state solution.”
“Today, Ireland, Norway, and Spain announce that we recognize the State of Palestine,” subsequently stated in a press conference in Dublin, the Prime Minister of Ireland, Simon Harris, who mentioned that “it is a historic and important day for Ireland and for Palestine”.
Simultaneously, the President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, announced in the Congress of Deputies that Spain will recognize the State of Palestine on May 28 after having reached an agreement with Sumar, a formation that is also part of his government.
The Spanish president assured that the recognition “is not against anyone”, but “in favor of peaceful coexistence between Israel and Palestine”. “It is an act of peace, justice, and coherence,” he summarized.
The head of the Spanish government, who hoped that this recognition would contribute to other Western countries following the same path, indicated that he had conveyed these arguments to both King Felipe VI and the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen; the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the Secretary-General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, before doing so before the Congress of Deputies. (May 22)