Tel Aviv: After making the announcement a week back, the European Union (EU) nations Spain, Norway and Ireland formally recognised the Palestinian state
Tel Aviv: After making the announcement a week back, the European Union (EU) nations Spain, Norway and Ireland formally recognised the Palestinian state on Tuesday, The Hill reported.
This further shows intensifying pressure on Israel from Europe on its ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza.
Spanish President Pedro Sanchez called the move “a historic decision that has a single goal, and that is to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace.”
The recognition, which is not expected to have an impact on the conflict, was quickly denounced by the Israeli government.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz compared the Spanish Vice President to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and said the Spanish government was “being complicit in inciting genocide against Jews and war crimes”, The Hill reported.
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said the recognition “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.”
Nine members of the European Union, along with Norway, now formally recognize Palestine as a sovereign state, though previously Sweden was the only major power on the continent to do so.
Around 140 out of over 190 countries represented in the UN have already recognized a Palestinian state.
EU members Malta and Slovenia have also affirmed that they may follow suit, though not immediately, as reported by The Hill.
