Norway, Ireland and Spain To Recognize A Palestinian State

Photo Credit: Damien Storan/PA via AP via Toronto Star

On May 28, Spain, Ireland, and Norway officially recognized a Palestinian state. Norway, the first to make an announcement, coordinated the move with its fellow European partners. The statement brings the total of recognizing nations to 146 of the United Nations’ 193 member states. 

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced his country’s recognition next. In a televised address, he said that his country will recognize a unified Palestinian state, which sees the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and capital city East Jerusalem, under the control of the Palestinian National Authority.

Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin affirmed support for equal security, dignity, and self-determination for Palestinians and Israelis. Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris emphasized that “Hamas is not the Palestinian people,” a position echoed by Sanchez. He added the move is “not against Israel, nor against the Jews.”

Earlier that same week, Sanchez sought to ease tensions by condemning Hamas and calling for the release of hostages. 

"It is not a decision we take against anyone, certainly not against Israel [...] We want to have the best possible relationship," he said.

Both the Palestinian National Authority and its rival Hamas — considered a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, and Canada — have welcomed the recognition, seeing it as a step towards greater self-determination and sovereignty. 

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz condemned the move, accusing the recognizing nations of complicity in anti-Semitic violence. “History will remember that Spain, Norway, and Ireland decided to award a gold medal to Hamas murderers and rapists,” he said. 

Katz also claimed the announcement would undermine ceasefire negotiations and attempts to secure the release of hostages from Gaza, a process facing setbacks since early May.

Following the statement, Israel called foreign ambassadors from Madrid, Dublin, and Oslo to the Israeli Foreign Ministry to face reprimands for their nations’ actions, Katz stated on social media, during which they were to “watch a video of the brutal and cruel kidnapping of [Israel’s] daughters by Hamas terrorists, to emphasize the distorted decision their governments have made.”

Historically, most Western nations argued that a Palestinian state should result from internal negotiations rather than external acknowledgement. Still, Spain, Ireland, and Norway hope their European partners will follow suit in recognizing Palestine. 

"It's the only way of advancing toward what everyone recognizes as the only possible solution to achieve a peaceful future, one of a Palestinian state that lives side by side with the Israeli state in peace and security," Sanchez stated in the televised address. 

Britain and Australia are considering Palestinian recognition, while France says that now is “not the right time.” The US and Germany, some of Israel's strongest allies, have rejected unilateral recognition. A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council explained that President Biden, a “long-time supporter” of the two-state solution, believes a “Palestinian state should emerge from direct negotiations, not unilateral actions.”