Spain, Norway and Ireland formally recognize the State of Palestine in an initiative aimed at increasing international pressure on Israel, while dramatic news of civilian massacres continues to arrive from Rafah. The latest, which occurred in a camp for displaced people, caused dozens of deaths and the admission of a “tragic accident” by the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. The recognition is a strong political signal from three European governments with different political orientations (socialist those of Madrid and Oslo, liberal-conservative that of Dublin) and arrives about ten days before the European elections.
France, however, says it is in favor of recognizing the Palestinian state but, specifies President Emmanuel Macron, at the “opportune moment”. “There is no taboo for France, I am absolutely ready to recognize a Palestinian state,” Macron said from Germany. “I believe that this recognition must arrive at the right time”, at the end of a process which involves the states of the region and Israel and which allows “on the basis of a reform of the Palestinian Authority to produce a useful result. I will not make a recognition on basis of emotion”.
For Tel Aviv, the diplomatic move by Spain, Norway and Ireland will have no immediate impact on the war in Gaza. Leading the group of countries that have recognized Palestine, evaluating its political ‘weight’, is Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Spain, who in a speech from Moncloa spoke of a “historic decision that has a single objective, that is, help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace“. Madrid’s step, he explained, is not “against anyone”, much less against Israel – “a friendly nation that we respect, that we appreciate and with which we want to have the best possible relations” – but “it reflects our refusal to Hamas, a terrorist organization that is against the two-state solution.”
Sanchez, according to whom “the West Bank and the Gaza Strip must be connected by a corridor, with East Jerusalem as the capital and united under the legitimate government of the PA”, also reiterated his request for a permanent ceasefire, the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of hostages still held by Hamas.
The Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, immediately lashed out against Spain with a very harsh post on the social network Khamenei, and the head of Hamas in Gaza and the main target of the Israeli retaliation for the October 7 massacre, Yahya Sinwar, accusing all three of wanting “the disappearance of the State of Israel and the creation of an Islamic terrorist state”. In recent days, the words of Diaz had caused discussion, as he, taking up one of Hamas’ slogans, had hoped for the birth of a Palestinian state “from the river to the sea” and then apologised. But for Katz, announcing the recognition of the Palestinian state means being “complicit in instigating the murder of the Jewish people and war crimes”.
Ireland and Norway joined Spain in formalizing a decision jointly announced last week. In front of Leinster House, the seat of the Irish parliament, the Palestinian flag has been flying alongside the European and Ukrainian flags since this morning. “This is an important moment and I think it sends a signal to the world that there are practical actions we can take as a country to help keep the hope and goal of a two-state solution alive at a time when others are sadly trying to bomb it into oblivion,” Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said before the cabinet meeting that formalized the decision.
And according to Dublin the first effects are already visible. After yesterday’s Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, the Irish minister, Michael Martin, did not fail to underline that “for the first time in an EU meeting, in a real way, I witnessed a significant discussion on sanctions” against Israel.
Norway, which is not an EU member but often aligns its foreign policy with that of the bloc, underlined through the Foreign Minister, Espen Barth Eide, that the recognition of the State of Palestine represents “a milestone” for bilateral relations and highlighted that Oslo has been one of the “strongest defenders” of the Palestinians “for more than 30 years”. Eide, who on Sunday delivered a formal document recognizing the State of Palestine to the Palestinian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Mohamed Mustafa, expressed “confidence” that “the Palestinian government will continue the difficult work of reform and lay the foundations for govern in the West Bank and Gaza Strip after a ceasefire”. According to the head of diplomacy in Oslo, it is “a firm expression of support for the moderate forces of both countries”.
The decision of Spain, Ireland and Norway has provoked the anger of the Israeli government which in recent days has called its ambassadors in these countries for consultations, claiming that it represents “a reward” for the attacks by the “terrorists” of Hamas. Netanyahu branded these initiatives as unilateral measures that Israel does not recognize and which are holding back the peace process and rejected “international diktats on a permanent agreement with the Palestinians”, adding that an agreement of this kind can only be reached through direct negotiations between the parties, without preconditions.
So far, 146 countries have officially recognized the Palestinian state. In the last month, Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and the Bahamas have taken the formal step and Malta and Slovenia have also indicated that they may do so soon. None of the major Western powers appear on the list, but the decisions of Norway, Ireland and Spain could provide new impetus. For the Palestinians, in any case, this is a significant result that gives further international legitimacy to their struggle. Concretely, in the three countries that now consider Palestine a full-fledged state, the Palestinian diplomatic missions are raised to the level of embassies and the same happens to the representations of Oslo, Dublin and Madrid in Ramallah, the ‘capital’ of the West Bank.
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