Ireland, Norway, and Spain Recognize Palestine; Israel Recalls Ambassadors

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

BUDAPEST/THE HAGUE/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Ireland, Norway, and Spain announced Wednesday that they would recognize a Palestinian state, prompting Israel to withdraw ambassadors.

The governments of the three European nations said there would be no peace in the Middle East without an independent Palestine. “In the midst of a war, with tens of thousands killed and injured, we must keep alive the only alternative that offers a political solution for Israelis and Palestinians alike: Two states, living side by side, in peace and security,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said.

“There will be no peace in the Middle East without a two-state solution. There can be no two-state solution without a Palestinian state,” he added. He said they would recognize an independent Palestinian state starting as early as May 28.

In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz ordered the immediate recall of the Israeli ambassadors to Norway and Ireland. “I am sending a clear message today: Israel will not be complacent against those who undermine its sovereignty and endanger its security.”

Israel had already withdrawn its envoy to Madrid late last year amid tensions over its war against Hamas in Gaza.

“I am sending a clear message today: Israel will not be complacent against those who undermine its sovereignty and endanger its security,” Katz stressed.

ISRAEL ATTACKED

In the Netherlands, anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders, whose Party for Freedom (PVV) will lead the next cabinet, told Parliament that he “will support Israel till my last breath.”

He recalled that Hamas had attacked Israel on October 7 when some 1,200 people, including babies, raped women, families, and others, were killed in the worst atrocities against Jews since the Holocaust, or Shoah.

Wilders spoke to legislators in The Hague, the same city that hosts the International Court of Justice (ICC), where Israel has to defend itself against controversial charges of genocide.

In the ICC case launched by South Africa, the Israeli delegating said that Israeli Defense Forces uncovered 700 Hamas-built tunnel shafts in the Gaza city of Rafah, of which 50 cross into Egypt.

It would allow Hamas to import weapons and other goods into the Gaza Strip without detection.

While revealing the details, one court case attendee was reportedly heard shouting ‘free Palestine’ at an Israeli representative.

NO TWO STATES

Wilders, who has lived in Israel, told Parliament that amid these tensions, he does not support a “two-state solution” as Israel is fighting a war against “Islamic terror.”

His words were remarkable as the European Union, of which the Netherlands is a founding member, supports the two-state solution, noted Frans Timmermans, a former EU commissioner and current leftist opposition leader.

Yet Wilders’ comments, made when challenged by the opposition during a parliamentary debate, were due to be welcomed by Israel’s government.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed back against the U.S. idea that the Palestinian Authority, which governs part of the West Bank, would play any role in governing postwar Gaza and a future Palestinian state.

On Tuesday night, the Israeli Foreign Ministry released a statement and video on social media warning Ireland that “Recognizing a Palestinian state will lead to more terrorism, instability in the region and jeopardize any prospects for peace.”

It added: “Don’t be a pawn in the hands of Hamas,” while showing a video with images of Hamas militants celebrating their capture of Israeli hostages.

In recent days, Israel found the bodies of more abducted people. Hamas still has about 130 hostages, including dozens who are believed to have been killed.

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