Spain, Ireland and Norway say they will recognize a Palestinian state. Why is this important?

Spain, Ireland and Norway said on Wednesday they would do so Recognition of the Palestinian state On May 28, it is a step towards achieving the long-awaited Palestinian ambition, and came amid international outrage over the number of civilian deaths and the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip following Israeli aggression.

Almost simultaneous decisions by two EU countries, Norway, may generate momentum for recognition of Palestinian statehood by other EU countries, and may lead to further steps at the UN, deepening Israel’s isolation.

Currently, seven countries from the 27-nation European Union officially recognize Palestinian statehood. Five of them are from the former Eastern Bloc countries that declared recognition in 1988, as well as Cyprus, before joining the bloc. Sweden announced recognition in 2014.

The Czech Republic, a member of the European Union, says that the recognition of the former Czechoslovakia in 1988 – of which it was then part – does not apply to the modern state. The Slovak Foreign Ministry says that both sides confirmed their recognition that Slovakia became independent in 1992-1993, and that the Palestinian state has had a fully operational embassy in Bratislava since 2006.

EU members Malta and Slovenia say they may follow suit.

About 140 of the 190 countries represented in the United Nations have already recognized Palestinian statehood.

Here’s a look at how and why the new European ads matter:

why does it matter?

The 1947 UN partition plan called for the creation of a Jewish state alongside a Palestinian state, but the Palestinians and the wider Arab world rejected it because it would have given them less than half the land even though Palestinians make up two-thirds of the country. population.

The Arab-Israeli War the following year left Israel with more territory, with Jordan taking control of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and Egypt taking control of Gaza.

In the 1967 war, Israel seized all three territories, and decades of on-and-off peace talks failed.

The United States, Britain and other Western countries have supported the idea of ​​establishing an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel as a solution to the most difficult conflict in the Middle East, but they insist that the establishment of a Palestinian state must come as part of a negotiated settlement. There have been no substantive negotiations since 2009.

Although the European Union countries and Norway will not recognize the existing state, but only the possibility of recognizing it, the symbolism helps strengthen the Palestinians’ international standing and increases pressure on Israel to open negotiations to end the war.

This step also adds additional importance to the Middle East issue before the elections scheduled for June 6-9 European Parliament.

why now?

Diplomatic pressure on Israel increased as the battle with Hamas entered its eighth month. United Nations General Assembly It was voted on by a large margin on May 11 to grant new “rights and privileges” to Palestine in a sign of growing international support for a vote on full voting membership. The Palestinian Authority currently has observer status.

The leaders of Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia said in March that they were considering recognizing Palestinian statehood as a “positive contribution” to ending the war.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Wednesday, “This recognition is not against anyone, and not against the Israeli people.” “It is an act in the interest of peace, justice and moral consistency.”

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide told The Associated Press that while his country has supported the creation of a Palestinian state for decades, recognition is “a card you can only play once.”

“We thought recognition would come at the end of the process,” he said. “We now realize that recognition has to come as a driving force, as a reinforcement of the process.”

What are the implications of recognition?

While dozens of countries have recognized a Palestinian state, none of the major Western powers have done so, and it is unclear how much difference this step by the three countries might make.

However, their recognition would constitute a major achievement for the Palestinians, who believe it lends international legitimacy to their struggle. Norway said it would upgrade its representative office in Palestine to an embassy, ​​but it was not clear what Ireland and Spain would do.

Little is likely to change on the ground in the short term. Peace talks are stalled, and the hard-line Israeli government adheres to its position of rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state.

What is Israel’s response?

Israel responded quickly on Wednesday by recalling its ambassadors to Ireland, Norway and Spain and suspending a wartime arrangement to transfer Palestinian tax revenues to the Palestinian Authority via Norway.

The Israeli government criticizes talk of Palestinian independence as a “reward” for a Hamas attack on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and led to the kidnapping of more than 250 others. It rejects any move to legitimize the Palestinians internationally.

Israel says that steps such as those taken by the three European countries on Wednesday will lead to a hardening of the Palestinian position and undermine the negotiation process, stressing the need to resolve all issues through negotiations.

Who recognizes the Palestinian?

state?

About 140 countries have already recognized Palestinians, more than two-thirds of the members of the United Nations.

Some major powers have indicated that their position may evolve amid anger over the consequences of the Israeli attack on Gaza, which has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. The Ministry does not differentiate between non-combatants and combatants in its statistics.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said that the Palestinian state will not be recognized as long as Hamas is present in Gaza, but that this may happen during Israeli negotiations with Palestinian leaders.

France indicated that it is not ready to join other countries in recognizing a Palestinian state, even if it is not opposed to the idea in principle. French Foreign Minister Stephane Ségourny, in remarks reported by his ministry after a closed meeting with his Israeli counterpart on Wednesday, said that recognition of a Palestinian state should be “useful” in advancing the two-state solution, and he suggested doing so now would have no real impact in pursuing that goal. .

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An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to the 1948 UN resolution that led to the creation of Israel. In fact, Israel declared its independence in 1948 after the United Nations proposed the partition plan in 1947.