Norway, Spain and Ireland to recognize state of Palestine

By Nathan Morley

Norway, Spain, and Ireland will formally recognize Palestine as a state next week.

The Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Store, said the move was a means of supporting moderate forces which have been losing ground in what he called a ‘protracted and brutal conflict’.

At the same time, the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez made the announcement in Parliament. 

In Dublin, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said he was confident that further countries ‘will join us in taking this important step in the coming weeks’.

In response, Israel has withdrawn its ambassadors to Norway, Ireland, and Spain. ‘I'm sending a clear and unequivocal message to Ireland and Norway: Israel will not remain silent in the face of those undermining its sovereignty and endangering its security,’ Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz posted on social media.

In October last year, Israel embarked on a large-scale military offensive in Gaza in response to a deadly surprise attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel, in which about 1,200 people were murdered, and more than 200 others were taken captive.

Since then, least 35,600 Palestinians have been killed in the continuing Israeli military operation in Gaza.