On May 28, Norway, Spain, and Ireland will recognize the state of Palestine
In response to worldwide outcry over the number of civilian deaths and the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip as a result of Israel’s onslaught, Spain, Ireland, and Norway said on Wednesday that they will recognize a Palestinian state on May 28. This move fulfills a long-standing Palestinian desire.
The three almost simultaneous decisions might accelerate the process of other EU nations recognizing a Palestinian state and lead to other UN resolutions that further isolate Israel.
Malta and Slovenia, two more members of the EU’s 27 member states, could do the same. About 140 of the 190 nations represented in the UN have acknowledged the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The action was coordinated with Spain and Norway, according to Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris, who called it “an historic and important day for Ireland and for Palestine” on Wednesday. According to him, the action was taken to facilitate a two-state solution that would help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
On May 28, the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that his nation would recognize Palestine as a state. The anticipated announcement was delivered to the Spanish Parliament on Wednesday by Sánchez, who has led the country’s socialist movement since 2018.
The following explains how and why the recent pronouncements from Europe could be significant:
Why is that relevant?
Although a neighboring Palestinian state was intended when the 1948 UN resolution creating Israel was made, sovereignty of the Palestinian territories is still split and requests to join the UN have been turned down for the last 70 years.
In order to resolve the most difficult problem in the Middle East, the United States, Britain, and other Western nations have supported the notion of an independent Palestinian state coexisting with Israel; nevertheless, they maintain that Palestinian statehood should only be granted as part of a negotiated resolution. Since 2009, there haven’t been any meaningful discussions.
The symbolism supports the Palestinians’ international position and increases pressure on Israel to begin peace talks, even if the EU nations and Norway will only recognize the potential for an existing state.
Additionally, the initiative raises awareness of the Middle East crisis in front of the June 6–9 European Parliament elections, which will see a sharp spike in the extreme right’s support and around 370 million eligible voters.
28 May
Palestine will be recognized by three additional nations.
Israel recalls Norwegian and Irish diplomats
Israel’s ambassadors to Norway and Ireland have been told to return to Israel right away by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, as Norway said that it would recognize a Palestinian state and Ireland was anticipated to follow suit. “Today, Ireland and Norway want to tell the world that terrorism is profitable,” Katz said.
In Gaza, two Hamas commanders were assassinated.
Ahmed Yasser al-Kara was murdered in Khan Yunis by an IDF air strike. He was a “key” player in the terrorist organization Hamas’ anti-tank missile campaign and directed assaults and terrorist conspiracies against the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during the Gaza War. The Shin Bet, Israel’s anti-terror General Security Services, provided intelligence support for the attack.
