Norway, Ireland, Spain to recognize Palestinian state

The leaders of Norway, Ireland and Spain announced Wednesday (May 22) that their countries will recognize a Palestinian state within days, sparking a diplomatic row with Israel.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said their countries would make recognition official on May 28, in a joint move with Ireland, whose leader Simon Harris said he expected other countries to join an upswell of support for Palestinian statehood in the coming weeks.

Several European Union countries have in the past weeks indicated that they plan to declare their recognition of a Palestinian state, arguing a two-state solution is essential for lasting peace in the region.

“There cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition,” Gahr Store said at a press conference.

In Ireland, Taoiseach Harris called recognition “a historic and important day for Ireland and for Palestine.”

The Irish premier said the recognition comes from a belief in “freedom and justice,” and that peace can only be secured by “the free will of a free people.”

Speaking to Spain’s lower house, Sanchez said that Spain’s recognition is a 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.”

Jerusalem responded angrily to the announcements, recalling its ambassadors from Ireland, Spain and Norway for immediate consultations.

“I am sending an unequivocal message… Israel will not let this go quietly,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz said.

He also summoned the envoys of the three countries in Israel for “severe reprimands,” and said they would be shown footage of the kidnapping of five female Israeli soldiers on October 7 amid Hamas’s shock assault, which was set to be made public Wednesday evening.

The footage will “underscore to them what a twisted decision their governments made,” Katz said in a statement. “Their step will have severe consequences.”

Israel will also consider future steps against the three countries, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel.

The recognition of a Palestinian state by the three countries is the latest in a string of diplomatic setbacks for Israel as it battles Hamas. On Tuesday, the International Criminal Court announced it was seeking arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for potential war crimes, in addition to three Hamas leaders.

Israel has argued that unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state now would be viewed as a reward for the October 7 Hamas onslaught in southern Israel, in which some 1,200 people were slaughtered and 252 kidnapped, many of whom remain hostage in Gaza. Israel’s military campaign to rid the Gaza Strip of the Hamas terror group has sparked worldwide sympathy for the Palestinians and galvanized support for recognizing statehood in some capitals.

(With inputs from agencies)