Nations Supporting Palestinian State Grow by 3

Israel recalls ambassadors after announcement from Ireland, Spain, and Norway
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted May 22, 2024 6:29 AM CDT
Nations Supporting Palestinian State Grow by 3
Ireland's Prime Minister Simon Harris speaks during a press conference in Dublin, Ireland, Wednesday May 22, 2024.   (Damien Storan/PA via AP)

Another three countries say they will officially recognize a Palestinian state amid outrage over Israel's war in Gaza. Ireland, Norway, and Spain announced Wednesday that they would formally recognize the Palestinian state on May 28. Israel immediately recalled its ambassadors to Oslo and Dublin in response to what it called a "distorted step," and said it would also recall its ambassador to Madrid, per NBC News. The outlet notes the step may be echoed by other European countries "as outrage over Israel's actions in Gaza bolsters the Palestinian cause on the global stage."

"There cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition," said Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, per Al Jazeera. He said the recognition helps "keep alive the only alternative that offers a political solution for Israelis and Palestinians alike"—"two states, living side by side, in peace and security." Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said Israel "loses nothing" from the designation, which he hoped would "offer hope and encouragement to the people of Palestine at one of their darkest hours." Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the move was "an act in favor of peace, justice and moral consistency" and "not against the Israeli people."

Yet Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the message was that "terrorism pays." He said the recognition could hurt efforts to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza by "rewarding the jihadists of Hamas and Iran." Hamas, meanwhile, applauded the move, saying it was "an important step on the path to establishing our right to our land," and encouraged other countries to follow suit. According to the Palestinian Authority, 142 of 193 United Nations member nations now recognize the state of Palestine, per RTE News. Among those not included: the US, Canada, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. (More Palestinian statehood stories.)

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