According to Xinhua News Agency, Norway, Spain and Ireland announced the recognition of the Palestinian State on the 22nd. Over the years, Palestine has been widely recognized as a country, although the process of Palestinian statehood has been blocked. So why did the three European countries declare recognition of the Palestinian State at this time? How do the parties react to this? How will recognition of the Palestinian State affect the situation in the Middle East?
Why recognize the State of Palestine
The heads of government of Norway, Spain and Ireland all said that they recognized the decision of the Palestinian State after months of consultations with "like-minded countries" and agreed to announce the decision on the same day.
In the statement issued on the same day, Norwegian Prime Minister Steller said that the new round of Palestinian Israeli conflict has caused tens of thousands of casualties. "We must seek a political solution to the Palestinian Israeli conflict, that is, two countries coexist side by side in peace and security.".
In his speech, Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez said that Spain made this decision only for "peace and justice", and stressed that the key to resolving the Palestinian Israeli conflict is dialogue between the two sides.
Irish Prime Minister Harris said at the press conference that this is a decision that clearly supports the "two State solution", the only reliable way for Israel, Palestine and their people to achieve peace and security, and that recognition of the Palestinian State will contribute to peace and reconciliation in the Middle East.
Analysts pointed out that the large number of casualties caused by the conflict in the Gaza Strip has expanded the international community's sympathy for the Palestinian people, as evidenced by the recent overwhelming resolution of the United Nations General Assembly recommending that the Security Council review the Palestinian application for UN membership. The three countries' decision is conducive to saving the "two country plan", which is in line with the voice of the international community.
How do the parties react
On the 22nd, the Palestinian Presidential Palace issued a statement expressing appreciation and welcome for the three country decision, and said that it was a rescue of the "two State solution" and a support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people. The statement called on the countries that had not yet recognized the Palestinian State to assume their responsibilities and recognize the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination. The Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) issued a statement welcoming the decision of the three countries, saying it was an "important step" on the road of independent Palestinian statehood.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the 22nd, saying that Israeli Foreign Minister Katz had ordered the immediate recall of Israeli ambassadors to Ireland, Norway and Spain for consultations. The statement said Katz also ordered to summon the three ambassadors to Israel to "strongly denounce" their decision to recognize the Palestinian State.
Secretary General Gheit of the League of Arab States issued a statement welcoming the three countries' decision and calling on those countries that have not yet recognized the Palestinian State to take "brave and principled" actions.
How to affect the situation between Palestine and Israel
According to the data of the Palestinian National Authority, nearly 140 countries in the world have recognized the State of Palestine, but most western countries are not included.
Analysts believe that the recognition of the Palestinian State by Norway, Spain and Ireland will push more interested European countries to "take a step forward". However, it is expected that Greece, Hungary, the Czech Republic and other countries with more cooperation and close relations with the United States and Israel will still "hold their ground". The Palestinian State still has a long way to go before it can be universally recognized by European countries.
Although there is still a long way to go before Palestine can establish an independent state, the top priority is to achieve peace in the region as soon as possible. Norwegian Foreign Minister Eide said that the most urgent task at present is to ensure a ceasefire in Gaza and to ensure that enough humanitarian aid is delivered to the people of Gaza. He said that Norway hoped that the decision to recognize the Palestinian State would encourage the Palestinian and Israeli sides to restart peace negotiations.
The Guardian commented that the trend of European countries recognizing the Palestinian State will have an important impact. These new (recognition of the Palestinian State) shows that the "dominance" of the United States in the Palestinian Israeli peace process is weakening.
Editor Chen Yanting
Source: Xinhua News Agency
