Norway, Ireland and Spain announced Wednesday that they would recognize a Palestinian state, a historic but largely symbolic decision that further deepens Israel’s isolation, more than seven months after the start of its bitter war against the Hamas in Gaza. Israel immediately denounced these decisions and recalled its ambassadors in the three countries.
Palestinian leaders welcomed the announcements as an affirmation of their decades-long quest for statehood in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip – territories conquered by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and that they still control.
With some 140 countries – more than two-thirds of the United Nations – recognizing a Palestinian state, Wednesday’s cascade of announcements could create momentum at a time when even Israel’s close allies are increasing criticism of its conduct in Gaza.
This is the second blow to Israel’s international reputation this week after the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said he would seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his minister of justice. defense. The International Court of Justice is also examining allegations of genocide that Israel has vigorously denied.
Israel summoned envoys from the three countries, accusing the Europeans of rewarding the militant group Hamas for its October 7 attack that sparked the war. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said European ambassadors would watch grisly video footage of the attack.
In that attack, Hamas-led militants crossed the border, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostages. The ICC prosecutor is also seeking arrest warrants for three Hamas leaders. The ensuing Israeli offensive killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians.
“History will record that Spain, Norway and Ireland decided to award a gold medal to Hamas murderers and rapists,” Katz said.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks in the Spanish Parliament in Madrid, May 22, 2024. (Eduardo Parra/Europa Press via AP)
In response to announcements in Europe, Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Wednesday made a provocative visit to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound – a hotspot in Jerusalem that is sacred for Muslims and Jews, who call it the Temple Mount. This decision could worsen tensions in the region.
“We will not even allow a declaration on a Palestinian state,” he said.
Netanyahu’s government opposes the creation of a Palestinian state and says the conflict can only be resolved through direct negotiations, which failed more than 15 years ago.
The international community has long viewed the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel as the only realistic way to resolve the conflict, and in recent weeks several European Union countries have indicated they plan to recognize a state Palestinian to continue these efforts.
In contrast, the United States and Britain, among others, have supported the idea of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, but believe this should be part of a negotiated settlement.
Formal recognition by Norway, Spain and Ireland – all of which maintain friendly relations with Israelis and Palestinians, while long campaigning for Palestinian statehood – is scheduled for May 28.
Their announcements came in quick succession. Norway, which helped negotiate the Oslo Accords that launched the peace process in the 1990s, was the first, with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre declaring that “there can be no peace in the Middle East.” -East without recognition”.
The country plans to transform its representative office in the West Bank into an embassy.
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris called it a “historic and important day for Ireland and for Palestine”, saying the announcements had been coordinated and other countries could join them.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who announced his country’s decision in parliament, spent months traveling through countries in Europe and the Middle East to drum up support for recognition and a ceasefire. -the fire in Gaza.
“This recognition is not against anyone, it is not against the Israeli people,” Sánchez said. “It is an act in favor of peace, justice and moral coherence.”
President Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority, which administers part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, welcomed the decisions and called on other nations to “recognize our legitimate rights and support our people’s struggle for liberation.” and independence.
Hamas, which Western countries and Israel consider a terrorist group, does not recognize Israel’s existence but has indicated it could accept a 1967-style state, at least temporarily. Israel says any Palestinian state would risk being taken over by Hamas, posing a threat to its security.
These announcements are unlikely to have any impact on the war in Gaza – or the long-running conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
The three Irish Government leaders from left, Minister Eamon Ryan, Taoiseach Simon Harris and Tanaiste Micheal Martin speak to the media during a press conference outside the Government Buildings, in Dublin, Ireland, Wednesday May 22, 2024. (Damien Storan/PA via AP)
Israel has annexed East Jerusalem and considers it part of its capital, and in the occupied West Bank it has built numerous Jewish settlements that are now home to more than 500,000 Israelis. The settlers have Israeli citizenship, while the West Bank’s 3 million Palestinians live under seemingly limitless Israeli military rule.
Netanyahu has said Israel will maintain security control of Gaza even after any Hamas defeat, and the war there still rages. An Israeli airstrike on Wednesday morning killed 10 people, including four women and four children, who had been displaced and taking refuge in central Gaza, according to hospital authorities.
Hugh Lovatt, senior fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said “recognition is a tangible step towards a viable political path leading to Palestinian self-determination.”
But for it to have an impact, he added, it must be accompanied by “concrete measures to counter Israel’s annexation and colonization of Palestinian territory – such as banning settlement products and financial services”.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide defended the importance of the decision in an interview with The Associated Press, saying that although the country has supported the creation of a Palestinian state for decades, he knows that recognition is “a card that can only be played once”. “
“We thought recognition would come at the end of a process,” he said. “Now we realized that recognition had to be an impulse, a reinforcement of a process.”
