Norway, Spain and Ireland to recognize Palestinian state

The governments of Spain and Ireland have announced plans to officially recognise Palestine as an independent country, despite warnings from Israel that this will "fuel extremism and instability."

In Ireland, Prime Minister Simon Harris, Deputy Prime Minister Micheál Martin, and Environment Minister Eamon Ryan announced at a press conference on Wednesday morning that their decision will take effect by the 28 May, alongside Norway.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also revealed the country will be formally recognising Palestine on the 28th of May in a speech to parliament, after stating his intention to move forward with this decision last week.

In response, Israel has recalled its representatives to Ireland and Norway for urgent talks. "Israel will not go over this in silence - there will be other serious consequences. If Spain realises its intention to recognise a Palestinian state, a similar step will be taken against it,'' foreign Minister Israel Katz says.

Sánchez has criticised Israel's military actions in Gaza, with Spain recently blocking ships carrying arms to Israel from docking at its ports. He condemned Hamas's "shocking acts of terrorism" and said Israel has a right to defend itself, but he called the number of dead Palestinians "truly unbearable" and questioned whether Israel is following international law in Gaza.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has also acted, stating on Monday that it is seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and several Hamas leaders for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Belgium, Slovenia, Malta, and Norway have also expressed support for recognising Palestine, arguing that a two-state solution is needed for lasting peace in the region. So far, 139 out of 193 United Nations (UN) member states have recognised Palestinian statehood