Ireland, Spain, Norway recognize state of Palestine
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Ireland, Spain, and Norway officially recognized on Wednesday Palestine as a state, prompting Israel to order its ambassadors to return from two of them.
Irish Prime Minister, Simon Harris, said during a press conference in Dublin that Ireland, Norway, and Spain announce they recognize the state of Palestine, adding, “I am confident that further countries will join us in taking this important step in the coming weeks.”
In recent weeks, Ireland, Malta, Slovenia and Spain had indicated their intention to recognize a Palestinian State, considering that a two-State solution was essential for a lasting peace in the region.
Harris said, “It is a statement of unequivocal support for a two-state solution, the only credible path to peace and security for Israel, for Palestine and for their peoples.”
Meanwhile, Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, ordered its ambassadors from Ireland and Norway to immediately return to Israel and said it would do the same for Spain.
Katz stated on X platform (formerly Twitter), “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.”
Moreover, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Norway’s Foreign Minister, Espen Barth Eide, announced the formal recognition will enter into force on 28 May.
Additionally, Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Store, said, “There cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition,” adding that Palestine has “a fundamental right to an independent state.”