Spain, Ireland and Norway declare recognition of Palestinian independence
22 May 2024 15:56
The heads of government of Spain, Ireland and Norway have announced that their countries will recognise Palestinian independence. All three decisions are to come into force on 28 May, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre ‘s motivation for recognising Palestine was somewhat unexpected: by recognising Palestine, it will be possible to hold it accountable.
“By recognising Palestine, we will be able to encourage other countries to support the building of a Palestinian state more strongly. And we will be able to hold the Palestinian state accountable,”
– said the Norwegian Prime Minister.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stressed that the decision to recognise Palestine was by no means anti-Israel.
“I want to make one thing clear: this recognition is not directed against anyone, it is not directed against the people of Israel, a people we value. And even more so, it is not directed against the Jews, a wonderful people whose history is linked to Spain,”
– sanchez commented on the decision.
Ireland stressed the values of freedom and justice.
“We believe in freedom and justice as fundamental principles of international law. This is a statement of unequivocal support for the two-state solution, the only credible path to peace and security for Israel, Palestine and their peoples,”
– said Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris.
Israel’s response was traditionally very harsh. Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz accused these governments of supporting terrorism, recalled their ambassadors and called the ambassadors of these states “on the carpet”:
“History will remember that Spain, Norway and Ireland decided to award a gold medal to Hamas murderers and rapists who raped teenage girls and burned babies. I have ordered the ambassadors to be summoned immediately for a reprimand, during which they will watch the horrific video of the abduction of female observers to illustrate to them what a distorted decision their governments have made. Israel will not remain silent – their move will have serious consequences.”
This recognition comes against the backdrop of growing complaints about the Israeli government’s actions in the Gaza Strip. Thus, the United States is demanding that the Israeli government limit the scale of the operation in Gaza, in particular the offensive on Rafah, and the International Criminal Court prosecutor Kareem Khan even called on the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber to issue arrest warrants for the Israeli Prime Minister and Defence Minister.
Currently, 143 UN member states recognise the Palestinian state. Ukraine recognised Palestine as the Ukrainian SSR on 19 November 1988.
