NEW DELHI:  Ireland, Norway and Spain announced that they will recognise a Palestinian state amid the tensions created by the Israel-Hamas conflict, with the leadership of these countries saying they expect more European states to take a similar step.

The formal recognition of Palestine as a state by Norway and Spain will take effect on May 28. A statement by the Norwegian foreign ministry said a “number of other like-minded European countries will also formally recognise Palestine on that same date”.

“The Norwegian government has decided that Norway will recognise Palestine as a state. Amid a war, with tens of thousands killed and injured, we must keep alive the only alternative that offers a political solution for Israelis and Palestinians alike: Two states, living side by side, in peace and security,” said Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

Minutes later, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced in Parliament that his country too would recognise a Palestinian state. “The time has come to move from words to action,” he said. He made it clear that the decision was not being made against Israel or the Jews or in favour of Hamas.

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said the three countries will “undertake whatever national steps are necessary to give effect to that decision”. He added, “I am confident that further countries will join us in taking this important step in the coming weeks.”

Israel reacted angrily to the development by recalling its ambassadors to Norway and Ireland for “urgent consultations”. Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz said his country will not “back down against those who undermine its sovereignty and endanger its security”.

Speaking before Spain’s announcement, Katz added, “Israel will not go over this in silence – there will be other serious consequences. If Spain realises its intention to recognise a Palestinian state, a similar step will be taken against it.”

Explaining the rationale behind Norway’s decision, Støre said a Palestinian state is a prerequisite for peace in West Asia.

“The Palestinian people have a fundamental, independent right to self-determination. Both Israelis and Palestinians have a right to live in peace in their respective states. There will be no peace in the Middle East without a two-state solution. There can be no two-state solution without a Palestinian state. In other words, a Palestinian state is a prerequisite for achieving peace in the Middle East,” he said.

Norwegian foreign minister Espen Barth Eide said in a post on X that a two-state solution is the only viable pathway to peace for Israel and Palestine. “At this critical juncture, our recognition comes in support of the work towards a comprehensive plan for regional peace,” he said.

There has been speculation in diplomatic circles that several European countries, including Spain and Norway, were set to announce their recognition of a Palestinian state. Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez had visited Ireland and Norway in April in an apparent attempt to coordinate the announcement.

Norway has a long history of involvement in efforts to address the tensions between Israel and Palestine and mediated the secret talks that led to the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993. The Norwegian statement noted that the recognition of a Palestinian state was taking place “just over 30 years after the signing of the first Oslo Accord”. 

It added that the Palestinians had taken important steps since then towards a two-state solution. In 2011, the World Bank concluded Palestine had met the key criteria required to function as a state and national institution to provide the population with crucial services had been established.

“Nonetheless, the war in Gaza and the ongoing expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank have made the situation in Palestine more difficult than it has been in decades,” the statement said.

Some 140 countries recognise a Palestinian state, including members of the Arab Group at the UN, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM). However, a Palestinian state is not recognised by the US and the UK, both permanent members of the UN Security Council.

On May 10, India was among 143 countries that voted in favour of a draft UN General Assembly resolution which stated Palestine is qualified and should be admitted as a full member of the United Nations. The resolution also recommended that the UN Security Council should “reconsider” the matter favourably.

India was one of the first countries to recognise the state of Palestine in 1988. In 1996, India opened a “representative office” to the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, and this was shifted to Ramallah in 2003.