Bethlehem/PNN / by Roddy Keenan 

The governments of Norway, Ireland and Spain have declared their intention to formally recognise the State of Palestine on May 28th.

In a series of coordinated statements, the leaders of each nation laid out their reasons for recognition.

The Norwegian Prime minister, Jonas Gahr Store was first to announce early on Wednesday morning. ‘The ongoing war in Gaza has made it abundantly clear that achieving peace and stability must be predicated on resolving the Palestinian question,’ he said.

‘We must keep alive the only alternative that offers a political solution for Israelis and Palestinians alike,’ Prime Minister Store declared. ‘Two states, living side by side, in peace and security.’

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris described the Irish action as ‘ a statement of unequivocal support for a two-state solution, the only credible path to peace and security for Israel, for Palestine and for their peoples.’ The Irish government recognised that Palestine had a ‘legitimate right to statehood’, said Harris.

‘We in Ireland see you. We recognise you. We respect you,’ the prime minister declared.

Addressing the Spanish parliament, the nation’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez said his government’s decision to recognise the State of Palestine not only reflected the view of the Spanish people, but was the correct thing to do in the name of justice.

‘For more than half a century, we have allowed UN resolutions and NGO complaints to be ignored,’ Sanchez said. ‘It will not give the Palestinians back time or lives lost. But we hope it will give them hope and dignity, that it will serve to tell them that we are with you and that there is light at the end of the tunnel’.

Sanchez also pointed out that Spain would continue to urge the international community to address the issue of Palestine. ‘Recognition is not the end,’ he stated. ‘It is only the beginning.’

Israel’s response was immediate, announcing it would be summoning the ambassadors of the three countries and would also be recalling their own ambassadors for ‘urgent consultations.’

Meanwhile, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the recognition of ‘the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, whilst Hamas called the decision by the three European countries an ‘important step’.