In a coordinated announcement, three European nations – Norway, Ireland, and Spain – have said they will recognize an independent Palestine, saying it is necessary to support the “moderate forces” in the Gaza conflict. The move deepens Israel’s isolation more than seven months into a bloody war against the Palestinians.
In announcing on Wednesday, Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere cited the Gaza war and the need to support a two-state solution for both Israelis and Palestinians. He urged other countries to follow suit, but he did not set a timeline. The EU’s top diplomat, Catherine Ashton, praised the decision and called for the implementation of a UN peace plan in the region.
“There can no longer be any doubt that the only way to a peaceful and prosperous future for both peoples of the Middle East is through a sovereign, viable, contiguous, democratic Palestinian state,” she said. “Today’s declaration is a clear signal of this.”
The move follows months of lobbying by Ireland and Spain, which have long sought to assemble a bloc of like-minded European Union member states in favor of recognition. Ireland’s foreign minister Micheal Martin posted on social media platform X that Dublin will make its recognition official on May 28.
Both he and Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said the timing was right. “The time has come to move from words into action,” Sánchez said. He added that there was a “growing international consensus” on the need for a two-state solution. He also pointed to a unanimous vote at the UN General Assembly this month to recognize Palestine as qualified to join the United Nations.
While the three European countries’ moves are symbolic, they deepen the isolation of Israel amidst worldwide condemnation of its harsh military offensive in the Gaza Strip. The announcement comes more than 30 years after the Oslo Accords launched a process for peace talks between Israel and Palestine that has yet to yield results.
Until now, many European countries have held out the hope that recognition would follow an agreed-upon peace deal between the sides. But the Oslo Accords have yet to be implemented, and several leading EU members, including France and Germany, have been reluctant to recognize Palestine unilaterally.
