Ireland, Spain, and Norway have announced their decision to formally recognize a Palestinian state on May 28, triggering an immediate response from Israel, which has decided to recall its ambassadors from Dublin, Madrid, and Oslo. The coordinated announcements were made on Wednesday morning and are intended to support a two-state solution and foster peace in the Middle East.
Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, addressed the parliament in Madrid, stating, “We are going to recognize Palestine for many reasons and we can sum that up in three words – peace, justice, and consistency.” He emphasized the importance of respecting the two-state solution and ensuring mutual guarantees of security, which garnered applause from the parliament.
In Dublin, Ireland’s Taoiseach, Simon Harris, affirmed Palestine’s legitimate right to statehood. “It is a statement of unequivocal support for a two-state solution, the only credible path to peace and security for Israel, for Palestine, and for their peoples,” he told a press conference. Harris expressed confidence that other countries would soon join in recognizing Palestine.
Norway’s Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, echoed similar sentiments in Oslo, asserting that peace in the Middle East cannot be achieved without recognizing Palestine as an independent state “with all the rights and obligations that entails.”
Israel responded swiftly, launching a diplomatic counteroffensive aimed at deterring other nations from following suit. Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, ordered the immediate return of Israeli ambassadors from the three countries for consultations. Katz issued a stern warning of “severe consequences” for those who undermine Israel’s sovereignty and security. The Israeli foreign ministry plans to reprimand the ambassadors of Ireland, Spain, and Norway and show them a video of female hostages held by Hamas to underline the implications of their recognition.
Katz argued that recognizing Palestine at this juncture would impede efforts to secure the return of hostages from Gaza and make a ceasefire less likely, accusing the move of “rewarding the jihadists of Hamas and Iran.”
This development occurs amidst a seven-month-old war in Gaza, which has intensified global calls for a lasting peace solution in the region. The international criminal court is also pursuing arrest warrants on war crimes charges related to the conflict. Spain’s Prime Minister Sánchez has been particularly vocal in his criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza, condemning Hamas’s acts of terrorism while also stressing that Israel’s response must not result in the deaths of innocent civilians, including thousands of children.
Ireland’s Simon Harris, alongside his coalition’s party leaders, emphasized the moral imperative of their decision. “I want to know in years to come that Ireland spoke up, spoke out, in favor of peace, in favor of a political settlement that allows children in Palestine, children in Israel, to live safely and in peace and security side by side,” he stated.
The recognition by Ireland, Spain, and Norway aligns with the positions of several other EU members. Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, and Malta had all indicated their intention to recognize Palestinian statehood. Since 1988, 139 out of 193 UN member states have recognized Palestine. The Irish government has consistently argued that such recognition complements peace efforts and supports the two-state solution.
While the UK and Australia have shown signs that they might follow suit, France has ruled out a similar move for now. Stéphane Séjourné, France’s Europe and Foreign Affairs Minister, stated that the conditions for such recognition to have a meaningful impact have not yet been met.
Overall, the announcements by Ireland, Spain, and Norway signify a significant shift in international diplomacy regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, aiming to push forward the peace process through the formal recognition of Palestinian statehood.
