Spain, Norway, and Ireland recognized a Palestinian state on Tuesday in a coordinated decision.
The three countries announced their intent last week, which prompted outrage from Israeli leaders, many of whom claimed that pushing ahead with Palestinian statehood would amount to rewarding Hamas for its Oct. 7 terrorist attack.
“We had wanted to recognize Palestine at the end of a peace process,” Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said. “However we have made this move alongside Spain and Norway to keep the miracle of peace alive.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez explained in a televised address that “this is a historic decision that has a single goal, and that is to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace.”
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement: “For more than 30 years, Norway has been one of the strongest advocates for a Palestinian state. Today, when Norway officially recognizes Palestine as a state, is a milestone in the relationship between Norway and Palestine.”
While roughly 140 countries recognize a Palestinian state, none of the major Western powers have done so, even though they largely support the idea. Spain and Ireland joined Sweden, Cyprus, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria as European Union members that have recognized a Palestinian state.
Last week, a U.S. official said it did not support these governments’ decision to recognize a Palestinian state unilaterally, even though the administration does support a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
“The president is a strong supporter of a two-state solution and has been throughout his career,” a National Security Council official told the Washington Examiner. “He believes a Palestinian state should be realized through direct negotiations between the parties, not through unilateral recognition.”
Spain’s, Norway’s, and Ireland’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state is reflective of Europe’s continued and growing frustration with Israel due to its war in Gaza against Hamas. The war, which has gone on for roughly seven months, has left much of the strip destroyed and all of the population facing famine, with most of them having to flee their homes.
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The exact death toll is impossible to verify, though Israeli leaders have indicated roughly 30,000 people have been killed, nearly half of whom were terrorists, while the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry has said roughly 35,000 people have been killed, though it does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Roughly 45 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli airstrike over the weekend in Rafah. Israeli forces are investigating the strike, though spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari attributed the deaths to a fire that the strike ignited. The strike targeted two Hamas leaders.