Ireland, Norway and Spain recognize Palestinian state; Israel calls it 'distorted step'

Ireland, Norway and Spain said Wednesday they would recognize a Palestinian state for the first time, in a move the countries believe will help advance peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Israel said it was a "distorted step" that will "fuel extremism and instability."

The diplomatic decision, while rare, is largely symbolic. It won't immediately impact the Israel-Hamas war. The trio of nations hope their announcement, which takes effect May 28, will inject momentum into a stalled political process that could lead to a halt in fighting and also apply pressure on Israel to move toward a two-state solution.

"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," said Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre.

In Dublin, Ireland's Prime Minister Simon Harris said "from our own history, we know what it (recognition) means," a reference to Ireland's independence from the U.K. in 1921. "But let me also be clear, Hamas is not the Palestinian people. Today's decision to recognize Palestine is taken to help create a peaceful future."

Spain's leader Pedro Sanchez said the recognition reflected public opinion in his country and was also the right thing to do. "This recognition is not against Israel, is not against the Jews," he said.

Antisemitism is everywhere: We tracked it across all 50 states

Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz immediately ordered the return to Israel of the Israeli ambassadors in Ireland, Norway and Spain. In a video released on Tuesday, Israel's foreign ministry warned that "recognizing a Palestinian state will lead to more terrorism, instability in the region and jeopardize any prospects for peace."

"Don’t be a pawn in the hands of Hamas," the video said.

Who already recognizes a Palestinian state?

Most of the world already recognizes a Palestinian state. The U.S., U.K. and major Western nations are not among them. Slovenia and Malta have signaled they may soon also recognize a Palestinian state.

There is no quick answer as to why the U.S. hasn't recognized a Palestinian state. Some of the reluctance connects to the U.S.'s historical support for Israel. Another reason is to do with the many thorny and unresolved issues related to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Yet another factor is political divisions among Palestinians. The West Bank is run by Fatah, while Gaza has been governed by Hamas.

Legal scholars say the recognition of a state is a "declaration of intent" by one state to acknowledge another power as a "state" within the meaning of international law. Generally speaking, a state needs three things: state territory, a state people and state power.

Prior to the announcement by Spain and Ireland, Sweden was the only EU member state to recognize Palestinian statehood. Norway is not part of the EU. Other EU countries such as Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland recognized Palestinian statehood prior to joining the 27-nation economic and political bloc.

Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian diplomatic envoy to the U.K., said the move would "move us closer to justice and a sustainable peace. We urge the few remaining countries in the world to … to follow suit."

Amid campus protests: organizers with past ties to Hamas support also emerge

Earlier in May, 143 of the 193 members of the U.N. General Assembly voted in favor of a resolution requesting Palestine become a full member of the U.N. It previously had U.N. observer status only.

Wednesday's announcement comes on the heels of a decision by the International Criminal Court in the Hague, Netherlands, to seek arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, the militant group's leader in Gaza.

Israel slammed the ICC's move as an act that drew "moral equivalence" between Israel's elected officials and Hamas, who killed civilians, took hostages and perpetrated rape and other forms of sexual violence during its Oct. 7 attacks on Israel. President Joe Biden described the move as "outrageous."

Chilling details of what hostages faced: 'We know they were raped in Hamas captivity'

But Karim Khan, the ICC's top prosecutor, said it was necessary because he had "reasonable ground to believe" that both Netanyahu and Sinwar "bear criminal responsibility" for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Israel's retaliatory war in Gaza has killed thousands of civilians. A panel of judges at the ICC now will consider whether to issue the arrest warrants. That process could take months or even longer.

What is the two-state solution?

A two-state solution has been a hallmark of Israeli-Palestinian peace initiatives for years.

It calls for the creation of an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel. The concept has been embraced by the U.N. and successive Democratic and Republican administrations.

Its origins trace to 1947, when the U.N. agreed a plan partitioning Palestine into Arab and Jewish states with international rule over Jerusalem. Jewish leaders accepted the plan. Arab leaders rejected it.

Some of the longstanding perceived obstacles to a two-state solution include that both Israelis and Palestinians claim Jerusalem as their capital; that Israel has expanded settlements on Palestinian lands in the West Bank; and the so-called right of return claimed by millions of Palestinians − or their descendants − who were evicted from their land when Israel was created in 1948. The two Palestinian territories, Gaza and the West Bank, are geographically spit − a physical separation that has exacerbated political divisions.

More recently, Netanyahu and other voices in his government have repeatedly publicly said they oppose the creation of an independent Palestinian state once the war in Gaza ends.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ireland, Norway, Spain recognize Palestinian state