Norway, Ireland, Spain recognize Palestinian state

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre — "The only alternative that offers a political solution for Israelis and Palestinians alike: Two states, living side by side, in peace and security"

(Image credit: Erik Flaaris Johansen / NTB / AFP via Getty Images)

What happened

Norway, Ireland and Spain said Wednesday they will recognize a Palestinian state on May 28, calling the move a step toward a two-state solution and peace as Israel levels much of Gaza following Hamas' deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel.

Who said what

"Palestine has a fundamental right to an independent state," Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said. "In the midst of a war," and 30 years after the Oslo Peace Accords, "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."

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said his government was recalling its ambassadors from the countries, accusing them of "attempting to send a message to the Palestinians and to the whole world: Terrorism pays."

"Hamas is not the Palestinian people," said Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris. Gahr Støre said Hamas and other terrorist groups "are not supporters of a two-state solution." With Israel's hard-right government opposed as well, "that long-imagined but never realized dream — the goal of a generation of U.S. diplomats — has never seemed so far away," The Washington Post said.

What next?

Ireland's Harris said he thinks other countries will recognize a Palestinian state "in the weeks ahead." More than 140 countries have already done so, "but most Western European countries and the United States have not," as "recognition should be achieved through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians" as part of a two-state agreement, The New York Times said.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.