Ireland, Norway and Spain have officially recognised Palestine as a separate state, prompting Israel to recall its ambassadors from two of the European states.
Speaking on Wednesday, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said: “Today Ireland, Norway and Spain are announcing that we recognise the state of Palestine, each of us will undertake whatever national steps are necessary to give effect to that decision.
“I am confident that further countries will join us in taking this important step in the coming weeks.”
What is the two-state solution?
The Irish government argues that recognition supports a two-state solution, which it said is essential for lasting peace in the region, which has been at the centre of Israel’s offensive against Hamas since October.
Mr Harris continued: “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.”
Shortly after Mr Harris’s statement in Dublin, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Norway’s foreign minister, Espen Barth Eide, said both countries will recognise a Palestinian state from 28 May.
Mr Sanchez said it was clear that “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not have a project of peace for Palestine, even if the fight against the terrorist group Hamas is legitimate”.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store added: “There cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition.”
“The terror has been committed by Hamas and militant groups who are not supporters of a two-state solution and the state of Israel,” the Norwegian government leader said.
“Palestine has a fundamental right to an independent state.”
‘Terrorism pays’
After the announcement, Israel’s foreign minister ordered the country’s ambassadors from Ireland and Norway to immediately return home.
Posting on X, Israel Katz said: “Today’s decision sends a message to the Palestinians and the world: Terrorism pays.”
He said the recognition could impede efforts to return Israel’s hostages being held in Gaza and makes a ceasefire less likely by “rewarding the jihadists of Hamas and Iran”.
“Israel will not remain silent in the face of those undermining its sovereignty and endangering its security,” he added.
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It comes as Israeli forces have led assaults on the northern and southern edges of Gaza, causing hundreds of thousands of people to flee, restricting the flow of aid and raising the risk of famine in the enclave.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the recognition of a Palestinian state and called on other countries to follow suit.
In a statement carried by the official Wafa news agency, Mr Abbas said the decision will enshrine “the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination” and supports efforts to bring about a two-state solution with Israel.