Ireland, European states move forward with recognition of Palestinian state
Norway and Spain are poised to recognize an independent Palestinian state, following in Ireland's footsteps, according to sources.
Norway’s Prime Minister says the country is formally recognizing Palestine as a state as of May 28, AP reported.
Additionally, the Irish government is also expected to announce its recognition of a Palestinian state on Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Recent indications from European Union members Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, and Malta suggest a collective move toward recognizing a “two-state solution” as crucial for achieving lasting peace in the region.
“There cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Wednesday.
Gahr Støre said the Scandinavian country will recognize a Palestinian state as of May 28.
Several European Union countries have in the past weeks indicated that they plan to make the recognition, arguing a “two-state solution” is essential for lasting peace in the region.
Norway, which is not a member of the European Union, still mirrors its moves and has been a fervent supporter of a “two-state solution”.
Meanwhile, in Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is scheduled to address the parliament about setting a date for recognizing a Palestinian state.
Sanchez plans to announce the recognition of an independent Palestinian state on Wednesday, a government source told Reuters, confirming an earlier report from news website El Confidencial.
A spokesperson for Sanchez’s office refused to comment.
The Spanish recognition is likely to coincide with a similar announcement from the Irish government, according to a source familiar with the matter in Ireland.
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The Norwegian prime minister and foreign minister are scheduled to hold a press conference at 06:30 GMT on Wednesday, with the Middle East as the main topic of discussion. This move comes amid a recent Israeli military invasion in the northern and southern areas of the Gaza Strip, resulting in a new wave of forcible displacement and heightened restrictions on aid, raising concerns of famine.
Despite not being part of the European Union, Norway has maintained its stance on recognizing Palestine as a state, conditioned upon its potential positive impact on the peace process between “Israel” and the Palestinians, aligning with the United States’ position on the matter.
Currently, nine EU member states recognize Palestine. Eight countries, namely Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia, recognized Palestine in 1988 before joining the European Union, and Sweden recognized Palestine in 2014.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre recently stated that Norway was prepared to decide on recognizing a Palestinian state, but the timing of such a decision had not yet been finalized.
