Three European countries announced their recognition of the state of Palestine on Wednesday amid the bloody war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, an initiative quickly welcomed by the Palestinians but vehemently rejected by Israel.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Sture announced that his country would recognize the state of Palestine as of May 28. His Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sanchez, and Irishman Simon Harris followed suit.
Sanchez told the Spanish representatives, "Next Tuesday, May 28, Spain will approve the recognition of the Palestinian state in the Council of Ministers. He accused his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, of "endangering" the two-state solution in the Middle East with his policy of "suffering and destruction" in the Gaza Strip.
For his part, Simon Harris said, "Today Ireland, Norway and Spain announce their recognition of the State of Palestine," adding that it was "a historic and important day for Ireland and Palestine.
Israel announced that it had recalled its ambassadors to Ireland and Norway "for urgent consultations.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement, "Today I am sending a strong message to Ireland and Norway: Israel will not remain silent on this issue."
He added, "The two countries' hasty steps will have serious consequences, and if Spain fulfills its promises to recognize the Palestinian state, it will take action against them."
As for the Palestinians, they were quick to welcome the news.
PLO Executive Committee Secretary Hussein Al-Sheikh said via his account on the "X" platform that these are "historic moments in which the free world is triumphing for truth and justice after long decades of Palestinian national struggle, suffering, pain, occupation, racism, murder, oppression, abuse and destruction that the people of Palestine have been subjected to."
Hamas saw this as "an important step towards establishing our right to our land and establishing our independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. It called on "countries around the world to recognize our legitimate national rights, support our Palestinian people's struggle for liberation and independence, and end the Zionist occupation of our land."
In March, the three countries, along with Slovenia and Malta, issued a joint statement declaring their intention to recognize the state of Palestine.
On Tuesday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry released a video message to Ireland via the "X" platform, warning that "recognition of a Palestinian state would make it a pawn in the hands of Iran" and Hamas.
Israel believes that recognizing a Palestinian state without a negotiated solution is a "reward" to the Iranian-backed Hamas movement for the unprecedented attack it launched on southern Israel on October 7.
The war broke out as a result of that attack, which killed more than 1,170 people, most of them civilians, according to an Agence France-Presse count based on official Israeli figures.
During the attack, 252 people were abducted, 124 of whom are still being held in Gaza, including 37 who died, according to the Israeli army.
Israel, which vowed to eliminate Hamas, has since responded with devastating bombardments followed by ground operations in Gaza that have killed 35,647 people, most of them civilians, according to the Hamas health ministry.
French Foreign Minister Stephane Ségournet said that while recognizing the state of Palestine is "not forbidden," now is not the time for his country to do so.
On the other hand, the Secretary General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, welcomed the "important step" that places these three countries "on the right side of history in this conflict".
Through Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Jordan welcomed "the decisions taken today by friendly European countries. He said, "We appreciate this decision and consider it an important and fundamental step towards the two-state solution, which embodies an independent and sovereign Palestinian state on the borders of June 4, 1967."
The Israeli army launched airstrikes Wednesday in the Gaza Strip, particularly in Rafah in the south, Jabalia, the Zaytoun neighborhood, and Gaza City in the north, according to witnesses.
On Wednesday morning, an Agence France-Presse team recorded artillery fire in and around the city of Rafah. The densely populated and displaced city has been the scene of ground operations since the beginning of the month, despite warnings from the international community.
Before entering Rafah, the Israeli army ordered the evacuation of some neighborhoods in Rafah. Israel confirms that it wants to eliminate the last Hamas brigades holed up in Rafah and the network of tunnels used by them, and it also wants to rescue the hostages.
In Al-Zawaida in central Gaza, ten people were killed and others injured in overnight strikes, according to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
The Gaza Civil Defense said six bodies were recovered from the rubble of a house hit by an Israeli bomb in Jabalia.
Also in the northern Gaza Strip, the survival of two hospitals still operating near the Jabalia refugee camp was threatened by the escalation of fighting between the Israeli army and Hamas militants.
Since Israel took control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt on May 7, the delivery of humanitarian aid to the besieged Strip has been largely halted, especially fuel needed for hospitals and humanitarian logistics services.
The United Nations said: "1.1 million people are facing catastrophic levels of hunger and Gaza remains on the brink of famine."
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