Politico reported that several European countries today, May 22, will announce the recognition of the Palestinian state.
Later the information was confirmed. The heads of government of Norway, Spain and Ireland announced that their countries recognize an independent Palestinian state. According to them, the decisions will come into force in a week, on May 28.
“Each of us will now take the necessary steps to implement this decision,” Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris told a news conference.
Israel's foreign minister ordered the immediate recall of ambassadors from Norway and Ireland for consultations amid the countries' decision to recognize Palestine.
“Ireland and Norway today intend to send a signal to the Palestinians and the world: terrorism pays off,” complained Israel Katz.
In the same way, the ambassadors of Ireland, Spain and Norway have been summoned to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Ynet reported. According to his information, the diplomats will be protested to.
“Israel will not remain silent in the face of those who undermine its sovereignty and jeopardize its security. <...> This perverse move by these countries is an injustice to the memory of the victims of the October 7 events and a blow to the efforts to return the 128 hostages,” the country's Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote in X.
The independence of the Palestinian state is recognized by 138 of the 193 UN member states, including China and Russia. At the same time, such countries as Israel, the United States, Britain, France and Germany do not recognize independence. In Europe there is also no consensus on the recognition of the Palestinian state. Thus France and Germany have no plans to recognize Palestine unless it becomes an effective tool to move towards peace. On the other hand, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania and Slovakia recognized the Palestinian state in 1988, before joining the European Union. Sweden recognized in 2014.
Recall, Israel has been conducting a military operation in the Gaza Strip, a region that belongs to the modern Palestinian Authority, for several months. It was launched in response to an attack by the Hamas group on southern Israel on October 7 last year. More than 1,200 people were victims of the jihadist attack, and about 250 people - Israelis and foreigners - were taken hostage and taken to the Gaza Strip. Nothing is still known about the fate of more than a hundred of them.
Important to know. The question of Palestinian independence is linked to the idea of “two States for two peoples”, which envisages the establishment of a Palestinian State alongside Israel. This concept was enshrined in UN Security Council Resolution 242 after the 1967 Six Day War. However, there is no unanimity among Israelis and Palestinians on this issue: Israeli politicians fear that an independent Palestine would be a launching pad for attacks on Israel, while many Palestinian radicals deny Israel's right to exist.
