Ireland, Norway and Spain to recognise Palestinian state

[Pelican Press 0]

Ireland, Norway and Spain to recognise ************ state

Ireland, Norway, and Spain have announced they will formally recognise a ************ state from 28 May.

Spain and Ireland said the decision was not against ******* nor in favour of ******, but rather in support of peace.

******* reacted angrily, warning the move would mean more instability in the region and recalling its ambassadors to all three countries.

Both ****** and its rival, the ************ Authority, have welcomed the recognition.

Norway was first to make its announcement Wednesday in a move co-ordinated with the other two countries.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre 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”.

“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 ******** and a ************ state existing peacefully next to each other.

Ireland and Spain followed suit soon after.

“Today, we state clearly our unambiguous support for the equal right to security, dignity, and self-determination for the ************ and ******** peoples,” Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin said.

The country’s Prime Minister Simon Harris later stressed that “****** is not the ************ people”.

“Today’s decision to recognise Palestine is taken to help create a peaceful future,” he said.

Mr Harris’s comments were echoed by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who said the move was “not against *******, is not against the Jews”.

“It is not in favour of ****** which is something that has been said. This recognition is not against anyone, it is in favour of peace and coexistence.”

******* reacted to the announcements with fury. Foreign Minister ******* Katz said he was ordering the immediate return of the ******** ambassadors to all three countries for “consultations”.

“******* will not go over this in silence – there will be other serious consequences,” he said.

Mr Katz also said that the three countries’ ambassadors in ******* will be summoned for “reprimand talks”, during which they will be shown a video of the abduction of female ******** soldiers on 7 October.

******, which controls Gaza and is

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, said Wednesday’s announcements would be a “turning point in the international position on the ************ issue”.

In a statement to AFP, Bassem Naim, a senior ****** figure, said the “brave resistance” of the ************ people was behind the move.

******’s rival, the ************ Authority (PA) – which controls parts of the ********-occupied West Bank – said Norway, Spain and Ireland had demonstrated their “unwavering commitment” to “delivering the long overdue justice to the ************ people”.

The issue of ************ statehood has vexed the international community for decades.

Since the 7 October attacks, ******** Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has doubled down on his opposition to such a plan, saying the creation of a ************ state would compromise *******’s security.

*******’s foreign ministry said in a post on social media on Tuesday that recognising a ************ state would lead to more “terrorism, instability in the region and jeopardise any prospects for peace”.

About 1,200 people were ******* in the unprecedented attacks on 7 October, when ****** gunmen burst into *******. They took 252 others back to Gaza as hostages.

Since then, more than 35,000 people, mostly civilians, have been ******* in *******’s Gaza offensive, according to the ******-run health ministry.

Most of the world already recognises the state of Palestine. Earlier this month, 143 of the 193 members of the ******* Nations General Assembly voted in favour of it joining the UN, something only states can do.

Before Wednesday’s announcements, only nine ********* countries supported ************ statehood and most of those took the decision in 1988 when they were part of the ******* bloc.

Most other ********* countries, and the US, still believe recognition should come only as part of a long-term two-state solution to the conflict.

A White House spokesperson said US President Joe Biden was a “strong supporter” of the two-state solution, and believed “a ************ state should be realised through direct negotiations, not through unilateral recognition”.

Slovenia and Malta have also said recently that they were considering a formal recognition.

Norway’s prime minister also said on Wednesday that he hoped the recognition of ************ statehood by the three countries would bring renewed momentum to the peace talks.

Long-running negotiations in Cairo aimed at securing a truce and further ******** releases are currently stalled.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate. Earlier this week, the UN said

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due to a lack of supplies and insecurity.

The chief prosecutor of the International ********* Court (ICC) recently

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Yahya Sinwar, for war *******. Both ******* and ****** have condemned the move.

******* says an offensive in Rafah is needed to eliminate ****** but the international community has warned against it, saying it will greatly exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

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#Ireland #Norway #Spain #recognise #************ #state

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