Spain, Ireland and Norway announced this Wednesday their intention to recognize the existence of the Palestinian State, a historic decision that has provoked the condemnation of Israel and the joy of the Palestinian people.
“Palestinians have a fundamental and independent right to have their own state. “Both Israelis and Palestinians have the right to live in peace in separate states,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said at a press conference on Wednesday.
“There can be no peace in the Middle East without a two-state solution,” he added.
For his part, Pedro Sánchez, president of the Spanish government, said in a speech before Parliament that there were three reasons to base his decision: “Peace, justice and coherence“.
The recognition of these three European governments will come into force on May 28.
Following the announcements, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry, based in the West Bank, expressed its satisfaction. “With this important step, Spain, Norway and Ireland have once again demonstrated their unwavering commitment to the two-state solution and to delivering long-awaited justice to the Palestinian people,” he said in a statement.
Hamas responded to the announcement by attributing the measure to the “brave resistance” of the Palestinian people..
“These successive recognitions are the direct result of this brave resistance and the legendary steadfastness of the Palestinian people,” Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas leader, told the AFP news agency.
The group considers that the recognition of these three European countries could be a turning point in the international position on the Palestinian issue.
In Israel, this Wednesday’s announcement caused great discomfort.
The government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called his ambassadors in these three European countries for consultations, but will also summon the diplomats of those countries in Israel to give them a “reprimand” in which they will be shown a video in which they can see how several Israeli female soldiers were kidnapped on October 7.
“History will remember that Spain, Norway and Ireland decided to award a gold medal to Hamas murderers and rapistswho raped teenagers and burned babies,” said Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz.
“Israel will not remain silent in the face of this: its action will have serious consequences,” he said.
Spain and Ireland pointed out that the decision was not against Israel or in favor of Hamasbut in support of peace.
Analysts estimate that, despite the measure announced by these three European countries, there are still enormous obstacles for the Palestinians to have their own viable State.
A “symbolic gesture” if it does not address other issues
James Landale, BBC diplomatic correspondent, points out that the announcement by Ireland, Spain and Norway will increase pressure on other European governments – including the United Kingdom, France and Germany – to also recognize the Palestinian state.
He warns, however, that what happened this Wednesday It is largely a symbolic gesture if it does not also address other vital issues.
What should the borders be? Where should the capital be located? What should both parties do first to make this happen?
Landale indicates that these are difficult questions on which no agreement has been reached and which have not been able to be answered satisfactorily for decades.
“Today, a few more countries in Europe believe there should be a Palestinian state. His supporters will applaud the measure, his opponents will condemn it,” says Landale.
“But this is unlikely to change the grim reality for Palestinians on the ground.”
A divisive issue
The recognition of a Palestinian state has generated controversy in the international community for decades.
On November 15, 1988, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), internationally recognized as the main representative of the Palestinians, declared for the first time the creation of the State of Palestine.
He did not define borders, but named Jerusalem as his capital.
A minority of European countries already recognize a Palestinian state. These include Hungary, Poland, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Sweden, Cyprus and Malta.
But many European nations – and the United States – say they will recognize a Palestinian state only as part of a long-term political solution to the conflict through what is known as the “two-state solution,” in which both Israelis and Palestinians agree to have their own states with their own borders.
Ireland, Spain and Norway say that they are doing so now to initiate a political process, as they believe that for there to be a sustained solution to the current crisis, both parties must be able to aspire to some type of political horizon.
Analysts point out that these three countries are also responding to internal political pressures to show more support for the Palestinians.
In the past, the position of many Western governments was that Palestinian statehood should be a prize for a final peace agreement.
The United States, among them, supports the so-called two-state solution, but says it should emerge through direct negotiations between the two parties..
Latin America and the Palestinian question
Historically, most leftist governments in Latin America have maintained traditional support for the Palestinian cause.
The Colombian president, Gustavo Petrohas been one of the most critical of Israel since the beginning of the current war in Gaza, which was triggered by the Hamas attacks on October 7, when militants of that Palestinian group broke into Israel, killing nearly 1,200 people and kidnapping about 250.
Since then, more than 35,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela and the Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva They have accused Israel of “genocide” against the Palestinian people.
Da Silva even compared the situation to Adolf Hitler’s actions against the Jews during World War II.
Currently, around 139 of the 193 members of the United Nations recognize Palestine as a state, but the list does not include the United States or the United Kingdom, or any other member of the G7, the group of the world’s seven most advanced economies.
In Latin America, there are 18 countries that have recognized the existence of the Palestinian State: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
The only Latin American countries that do not recognize a Palestinian State are Panama and Mexico.
Panama was also the only nation in the region to vote against the Palestinians obtaining “non-member observer state” status at the United Nations, in a historic vote that took place in late 2012.
After the outbreak of the war, and as the devastation of Gaza progresses, Latin American governments, such as those of Chile, Honduras and Colombia, have withdrawn their ambassadors in Israel.
Colombia and Bolivia They have taken a further step by breaking relations with the Israelis.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate as the Israeli military offensive continues.
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