World

Spain, Norway And Ireland Set To Officially Acknowledge Palestinian Statehood

Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares Bueno, and Ireland's Foreign Minister Micheal Martin

Today, Spain, Ireland, and Norway will officially acknowledge a Palestinian state, despite Israel’s outraged reaction, which has found itself increasingly isolated following seven months of conflict in Gaza.

About 144 of the 193 member-states of the United Nations acknowledge a Palestinian state, including the majority of the global south, Russia, China, and India.

Madrid, Dublin, and Oslo have painted their decision as a method to speed up attempts to reach a ceasefire in Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.

While the three nations’ pledge is mostly symbolic, they hope it will gain traction, inspiring other European Union countries to follow suit.

Spain and Ireland will become the largest and most politically influential countries in the 27-member bloc to recognize a Palestinian state, joining Sweden, Cyprus, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria.

In recent months, Britain, Australia, and EU members Malta and Slovenia have all hinted that they may follow in their footsteps.

However, France stated that now is not the time to accept Palestinian statehood, while Germany backed Israel’s staunchest ally, the United States, in rejecting a unilateral approach, saying that a two-state solution can only be achieved through discussion.

Also read: Canada To Grant More Visas To Gazans

Spriha Rai