NEW DELHI: After Norway and Spain, Ireland too, on Tuesday, formally recognised the sate of Palestine, despite Israel‘s furious response following seven months of operation in Gaza.
“We had wanted to recognise Palestine at the end of a peace process however we have made this move alongside Spain and Norway to keep the miracle of peace alive,” Irish PM Simon Harris said.
He further urged Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to “listen to the world and stop the humanitarian catastrophe we are seeing in Gaza”.
The move was hailed as “a special day for Norway-Palestine relations” by foreign minister Espen Barth Eide.
“Norway has been one of the most fervent defenders of a Palestinian state for more than 30 years,” he added.
Making it a “historic day”, Spain followed suit with spokeswoman Pilar Alegria announcing that the cabinet had officially recognized Palestine.
Earlier, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated that such recognition was “an essential requirement” for peace, insisting that the move was “not against anyone, least of all Israel” and was the only way to ensure a future “Palestinian state living side-by-side with the state of Israel in peace and security”.
He further said that the decision reflects Spain’s “outright rejection of Hamas, which is against the two-state solution”.
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said it was “an important moment” that sends a signal “that there are practical actions you can take as a country to help keep the hope… of a two-state solution alive” ahead of his own cabinet meeting.
‘Reward for terrorism’
The decision by Norway, Spain and Ireland to recognise Palestinian state prompted an angry response from Israel who called the move “reward for terrorism”. It further recalled its ambassadors from three European nations.
“The intention of several European countries to recognize a Palestinian state is a reward for terrorism,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
“This would be a terrorist state. It would try to carry out the October 7 massacre again and again – and that, we shall not agree to,” he added.
“Rewarding terrorism will not bring peace and neither will it stop us from defeating Hamas,” he said.
“We had wanted to recognise Palestine at the end of a peace process however we have made this move alongside Spain and Norway to keep the miracle of peace alive,” Irish PM Simon Harris said.
He further urged Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to “listen to the world and stop the humanitarian catastrophe we are seeing in Gaza”.
The move was hailed as “a special day for Norway-Palestine relations” by foreign minister Espen Barth Eide.
“Norway has been one of the most fervent defenders of a Palestinian state for more than 30 years,” he added.
Making it a “historic day”, Spain followed suit with spokeswoman Pilar Alegria announcing that the cabinet had officially recognized Palestine.
Earlier, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez stated that such recognition was “an essential requirement” for peace, insisting that the move was “not against anyone, least of all Israel” and was the only way to ensure a future “Palestinian state living side-by-side with the state of Israel in peace and security”.
He further said that the decision reflects Spain’s “outright rejection of Hamas, which is against the two-state solution”.
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said it was “an important moment” that sends a signal “that there are practical actions you can take as a country to help keep the hope… of a two-state solution alive” ahead of his own cabinet meeting.
‘Reward for terrorism’
The decision by Norway, Spain and Ireland to recognise Palestinian state prompted an angry response from Israel who called the move “reward for terrorism”. It further recalled its ambassadors from three European nations.
“The intention of several European countries to recognize a Palestinian state is a reward for terrorism,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
“This would be a terrorist state. It would try to carry out the October 7 massacre again and again – and that, we shall not agree to,” he added.
“Rewarding terrorism will not bring peace and neither will it stop us from defeating Hamas,” he said.
