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Spain, Ireland, Norway to recognise Palestinian state today
The three European nations are set to formally recognise a Palestinian state later today, joining 144 other countries that have already done so. Ireland’s cabinet is expected to affirm the decision after several hours of debate this morning in parliament.
Speaking yesterday, Ireland’s Prime Minister Simon Harris said: “We believe in the state of Israel and in the state of Palestine, living side by side in peace and stability. And we believe it at a time when others are seeking to bomb that hope to oblivion.”
Spanish PM: Palestinian state ‘only route to peace’
PM Pedro Sanchez has been speaking at the Moncloa Palace on the country’s recognition of a Palestinian state. “The recognition of the state of Palestine is not only a matter of historical justice, but we are all aiming at establishing peace,” he said.
“The only route towards establishing peace is the establishment of a Palestinian state, living side by side with the state of Israel.”
Spain envisions unified Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as capital
Continuing his remarks, Spain’s PM Sanchez emphasised the country’s vision for a unified and geographically connected Palestine.
“The state of Palestine must be viable, with the West Bank and Gaza connected by a corridor and with East Jerusalem as its capital,” said Sanchez. “It must be unified under the legitimate government of the Palestine national authority.”
He added that Spain’s recognition of Palestine should not compromise its relationship with Israel, which it considers a “friendly nation” and wants to “foster the strongest possible relationship”.
He also said Spain continues to reject Hamas, which it deems a “terrorist organisation”.
Sanchez says Palestine recognition a ‘decision for peace’
It’s a momentous and symbolic day. The symbolism is not lost on the Israelis, who have reacted with great unhappiness at the way that Spain, Norway and Ireland have announced their recognition of a Palestinian state.
In his speech, Spain’s PM Sanchez was absolutely adamant that the decision is aligned with UN resolutions, as adopted by EU member states. So the impression in some quarters that Spain, Ireland and Norway are somehow doing it alone is not borne out by the reality.
Sanchez was also adamant that the decision is not “against anybody”. Israel has been complaining bitterly that this is an anti-Israel policy … Sanchez said that is absolutely not the case. He says this is a decision for peace and hopes it will push forward the idea of a ceasefire and release of captives.
Sanchez condemned the October 7 attacks but said what Spain, Ireland and Norway are doing is, in his belief, the only way forward to get a two-state solution and make it survive.
Ireland’s decision to recognise Palestine both ‘political and symbolic’
Over the next couple of hours, we’ll have a cabinet meeting involving the taoiseach (the prime minister of Ireland), along with his foreign minister and the deputy prime minister.
The deputy PM will be talking about why they’ve taken this decision to recognise Palestinian statehood and how this comports with Ireland’s position when it comes to Palestinian rights over many, many decades.
Later on this afternoon, inside Ireland’s parliament, there’ll be a several hours-long debate about this issue, offering individual politicians their chance to express their positions and why they think this is important.
Simon Harris, the taoiseach, will make it very clear that he sees this as both a political and a symbolic decision the Irish government has made.
Recognition gives hope to Palestinians
The vast majority of the Palestinians across the occupied West Bank say they are optimistic and welcoming about the decision by Ireland, Norway and Spain to recognise the state of Palestine.
That is really seen here as a show of support to Palestinians and as a show of defiance against Israel. They hope that more states will follow. The feeling here among Palestinians is that people around the world now see what Israel is doing to the Palestinians.
They were also able to see the nitty-gritty of the occupation such as illegal Israeli settlements, arrests and military occupation that is controlling each and every aspect of Palestinians’ lives.
Palestinians are now more hopeful as they feel, with the media coverage, worldwide protests and the exposure of what is happening to Palestinians on social media despite bans, the world moving to take some action, after not paying attention to Palestine for so long.
Palestinians fear violent Israeli response to statehood recognition
There are some people here in Gaza who see this recognition as a very significant move, eventually putting more pressure on Israel to end the war. But the vast majority of displaced Palestinians are just busy trying to find basic necessities – food, water and medical care.
There is also worry, particularly among Palestinians traumatised by the constant displacement, that Israel’s military will retaliate against the recognitions by attacking more civilians in Gaza.
This is because every time something happens at the international level, we see a surge in attacks here. So the fear right now is real, the panic is real.
