ASIATODAY.ID, JAKARTA – Spain, Ireland and Norway officially recognized the Palestinian state on Tuesday, May 28 2024, despite strong criticism from Israel.
Spain, Ireland and Norway said they were trying to speed up ceasefire efforts in Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza. The three countries said they hoped their decision would spur other European Union countries to follow suit.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that recognition of the Palestinian state was the only way to move towards mutual recognition of the only solution to achieve a peaceful future.
“That is, a Palestinian state that lives side by side with the state of Israel in peace and security,” Sanchez said in a televised speech.
Sanchez said Spain recognizes a unified Palestinian state, including the Gaza Strip and West Bank, under the Palestinian National Authority with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said this recognition means 146 of the 193 member states of the United Nations (UN) now recognize the state of Palestine.
The Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank under Israeli military occupation, welcomed the decision. Sanchez said Spain would not recognize any changes to the pre-1967 border unless agreed by both sides.
Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs said last week that it would upgrade the status of its representative office in Ramallah, West Bank, to an embassy and appoint an ambassador. In addition, increasing the status of the Palestinian mission in Ireland will be upgraded to an embassy.
“We would like to recognize Palestine at the end of the peace process, but we have made this step together with Spain and Norway to keep the miracle of peace alive,” said Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris.
Israel has repeatedly condemned the move, saying recognition of Palestine would mean supporting Hamas, which led the deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel that sparked war in the Gaza Strip.
“Sanchez, when you … recognized the state of Palestine, you were complicit in incitement to genocide against the Jewish people and war crimes,” Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote in X on Tuesday.
European Union stance
Of the 27 European Union members, Sweden, Cyprus, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria have recognized the Palestinian state. Slovenia is expected to agree to recognition of a Palestinian state on Thursday and Malta said it was considering the move.
Britain and Australia have said they are considering recognition, but France says now is not the time, while Germany joins Israel’s staunchest ally, the United States, in rejecting a unilateral approach and insisting that a two-state solution can only be achieved through dialogue.
Norway, which chairs the international donor group for Palestine, has until recently followed the US position, but has lost confidence that this strategy will work.
Spain has traditionally leaned towards Palestine. Since Israel began its assault on Gaza in response to the Oct. 7 attack, the number of Spaniards supporting a two-state solution has risen to 60% in April from 40% in 2021, according to a poll by Real Instituto Elcano.
The decision to recognize this was welcomed by Marie Antoinette Sedin, who currently serves as the Palestinian ambassador to Norway.
“This is a step forward to end the war, end the occupation and give the Palestinian people the right to live in an independent state, live with dignity, freedom and peace,” said Sedin.
At a protest camp at Madrid’s Complutense University, political science student Abril Armengol said the recognition was the right decision, but it took Spain a long time to act.
“Pedro Sanchez’s decision was absolutely on target, but a little too late,” said 22-year-old Armengol.
Israel has responded to the move by recalling its ambassadors from Madrid, Oslo and Dublin and summoning the ambassadors of those three countries to watch videos of Israelis being held hostage by Hamas gunmen. Israel also blocked Spain from providing consular services to Palestinians in the West Bank and accused Spain of aiding Hamas.
In response, Spain has stepped up criticism by describing the Gaza conflict as a “real genocide.” Previously, Spain said that it would ask other European Union members to officially support the International Court of Justice (ICJ) order for Israel to stop its military offensive on the southern Gaza city of Rafah. But Sanchez on Tuesday sought to be fair by condemning Hamas and calling for the release of the hostages. The ICJ also called for the release of hostages held in Gaza last week.
“This is not a decision we took against anyone, certainly not against Israel. We want to have the best possible relationship,” Sanchez said. (Reuters)
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