On Wednesday, Norway, Ireland and Spain said they will officially acknowledge Palestine as a state. This is a significant but mostly symbolic action that shows Israel is increasingly alone in its conflict with Hamas in Gaza. Israel criticized the decisions and brought back its ambassadors from the three countries.
Palestinian leaders were happy about the news because it confirms their goal to have their own country in East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. Israel took control of these areas in the 1967 Middle East war and still has power over them.
Many countries, including most of the United Nations, say there is a Palestinian state. This could lead to more support for Palestine, especially as even Israel’s friends criticize its actions in Gaza.
The move happened unexpectedly, but some European Union countries have been talking for weeks about maybe recognizing a Palestinian state. Supporters say that the war has proven that there needs to be a new effort to create two separate states for Israel and the Palestinians, which is something that was last tried 15 years ago but didn’t work out. The leader of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, does not support the idea of Palestinians having their own country.
This is the second time Israel’s reputation has been damaged this week. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court wants to arrest Netanyahu and his defense minister. The International Court of Justice is looking into claims that Israel has denied about committing genocide.
Israel called back its ambassadors from three countries and summoned their envoys. They said the Europeans were rewarding the militant Hamas group for attacking on Oct 7, which started the war. Israel Katz, who is in charge of foreign affairs for Israel, said that European ambassadors will see a very unpleasant video of the attack.
During the attack, Hamas-led fighters crossed the border, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage. The person in charge of the ICC is trying to get permission to arrest three leaders of Hamas. Israel has attacked and killed over 35,000 Palestinians, and this has caused a big problem with not enough food and water. The ICC prosecutor said that Israeli leaders are using starvation as a weapon.
“Spain, Norway, and Ireland gave a gold medal to Hamas killers and rapists,” according to Katz.
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, which is important to both Muslims and Jews, after hearing about changes in Europe.
“We won’t let anyone talk about a Palestinian state,” he said.
In response, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said he would stop giving money to the Palestinian Authority, which could make it hard for them to pay their workers.
In the 1990s, Israel collected taxes for the Palestinians, and used the money to control and pressure them. After the Hamas attack on October 7th, Smotrich stopped the money from being transferred. But Israel decided to send the money to Norway, and then Norway sent it to the PA. Smotrich said on Wednesday that he was stopping that agreement.
Jake Sullivan, who works for the US government, said stopping the aid was a bad idea because it makes the situation in the West Bank unstable and makes it harder for the Palestinian people to be safe and successful.
Many people hold the view that creating a Palestinian nation alongside Israel is the most effective way to resolve the conflict.
The US and Britain support the idea of a separate country for Palestinians next to Israel, but they think it should be agreed upon through negotiations. Netanyahu’s government says the problem can only be fixed by talking directly to each other.
Norway, Spain, and Ireland are going to officially recognize the Palestinian state on May 28. They have been friendly with both Israelis and Palestinians and have supported the idea of a Palestinian state for a long time.
They made their announcements one after the other very quickly. Norway was the first to help make the Oslo accords that started the peace process in the 1990s. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said, “There cannot be peace in the Middle East without recognition. “
The country wants to make its office in the West Bank into an embassy.
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said it was a very important day for Ireland and Palestine. He said that the announcements were planned together and that other countries might also join.
The leader of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, told his country’s lawmakers that he has been visiting countries in Europe and the Middle East for many months to get their support for recognizing and stopping the fighting in Gaza.
“This award is not meant to harm anyone, it’s not meant to harm the people of Israel,” said Sanchez. “It is something that supports peace, fairness, and doing the right thing. “
The president of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, is happy with some decisions and wants other countries to support the Palestinian people’s fight for freedom and independence.
Hamas is seen as a terrorist group by Western countries and Israel. They don’t think Israel should exist, but they might be willing to accept a temporary state on the 1967 borders. Israel is worried that if a Palestinian state is created, the militant group Hamas will try to take it over, which could be dangerous for Israel’s safety.
The announcements probably won’t change anything in the war in Gaza or the ongoing fighting between Israel and the Palestinians.
Israel took control of east Jerusalem and thinks of it as part of its capital. It also built many Jewish communities in the West Bank where over 500,000 Israelis now live. The people who moved to live in the West Bank have Israeli citizenship, but the 3 million Palestinians who live there are ruled by the Israeli military.
Netanyahu said that Israel will continue to keep Gaza safe even if Hamas is defeated, and the fighting is still happening. Early on Wednesday, a bomb from an Israeli plane killed 10 people in central Gaza. This included four women and four children who had nowhere to live and were staying there. The information comes from the hospital.
Hugh Lovatt, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said that recognizing Palestinians as a political entity is an important step towards allowing them to determine their own future.
He said that in order to make a difference, we need to take real actions to stop Israel from taking over and building on Palestinian land, like stopping the sale of products made in settlements and financial support for them.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in an interview that it’s important to support the Palestinian state. He also said that they can only recognize it once.
“We used to think that we would get credit at the end of a process,” he said. “Now we understand that recognition should encourage and support a process. “
Many people hold the view that creating a Palestinian nation alongside Israel is the most effective way to resolve the conflict.The US and Britain support the idea of a separate country for Palestinians next to Israel, but they think it should be agreed upon through negotiations. Netanyahu’s government says the problem can only be fixed by talking directly to each other.Norway, Spain, and Ireland are going to officially recognize the Palestinian state on May 28. They have been friendly with both Israelis and Palestinians and have supported the idea of a Palestinian state for a long time.They made their announcements one after the other very quickly. Norway was the first to help make the Oslo accords that started the peace process in the 1990s. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said, “There cannot be peace in the Middle East without recognition. “The country wants to make its office in the West Bank into an embassy.Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said it was a very important day for Ireland and Palestine. He said that the announcements were planned together and that other countries might also join.The leader of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, told his country’s lawmakers that he has been visiting countries in Europe and the Middle East for many months to get their support for recognizing and stopping the fighting in Gaza.“This award is not meant to harm anyone, it’s not meant to harm the people of Israel,” said Sanchez. “It is something that supports peace, fairness, and doing the right thing. “The president of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, is happy with some decisions and wants other countries to support the Palestinian people’s fight for freedom and independence.Hamas is seen as a terrorist group by Western countries and Israel. They don’t think Israel should exist, but they might be willing to accept a temporary state on the 1967 borders. Israel is worried that if a Palestinian state is created, the militant group Hamas will try to take it over, which could be dangerous for Israel’s safety.The announcements probably won’t change anything in the war in Gaza or the ongoing fighting between Israel and the Palestinians.Israel took control of east Jerusalem and thinks of it as part of its capital. It also built many Jewish communities in the West Bank where over 500,000 Israelis now live. The people who moved to live in the West Bank have Israeli citizenship, but the 3 million Palestinians who live there are ruled by the Israeli military.Netanyahu said that Israel will continue to keep Gaza safe even if Hamas is defeated, and the fighting is still happening. Early on Wednesday, a bomb from an Israeli plane killed 10 people in central Gaza. This included four women and four children who had nowhere to live and were staying there. The information comes from the hospital.Hugh Lovatt, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said that recognizing Palestinians as a political entity is an important step towards allowing them to determine their own future.He said that in order to make a difference, we need to take real actions to stop Israel from taking over and building on Palestinian land, like stopping the sale of products made in settlements and financial support for them.Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in an interview that it’s important to support the Palestinian state. He also said that they can only recognize it once.“We used to think that we would get credit at the end of a process,” he said. “Now we understand that recognition should encourage and support a process. “