Together, Norway, Ireland, and other three western European countries recognized the state of Palestine on Tuesday, putting more international pressure on Israel to scale back its brutal reaction to the offensive spearheaded by Hamas last year. With little apparent effect on its grueling assault in Gaza, Tel Aviv denounced the bold action.
Pedro Sánchez, the prime minister of Spain, declared to the country in a live broadcast from Madrid that “this is a historic decision that has a single goal, and that is to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace.” Immediately after X, Israel Katz, the foreign minister of Israel, attacked Spain, claiming that Sánchez’s administration was” being complicit in inciting genocide against Jews and war crimes.”
Norway and Ireland quickly followed Spain in formally announcing a decision they had made together the week before. Outside of Ireland’s parliament building, Leinster House, in Dublin, the Palestinian flag was flown. Before his Cabinet meets to formally approve the decision, Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris stated, “This is an important moment and I think it sends a signal to the world that there are practical actions you can take as a country to help keep the hope and destination of a two-state solution alive at a time when others are trying to sadly bomb it into oblivion.” In a statement, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide stated :