Reaction to recognition
Israel recalls ambassadors from Ireland and Norway
May 22, 2024, 10:58 a.m
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Three European countries announce that they will recognize Palestine as a state amid the Gaza war. The reaction from Israel follows promptly: Foreign Minister Katz withdraws his ambassadors from Ireland and Norway for immediate consultations. He sharply criticizes these countries’ move – it would endanger Israel’s security.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has recalled his country’s ambassadors to Ireland and Norway for immediate consultations. “I am sending a clear and unambiguous message to Ireland and Norway: Israel will not remain silent in the face of those who undermine its sovereignty and threaten its security,” Katz wrote on Platform X about the two countries’ decision to recognize a Palestinian state.
“Today’s decision sends a message to the Palestinians and the world: terrorism pays,” said Katz. This step is an injustice to the memory of the victims of October 7th, when the Islamist Hamas carried out a massacre in Israel with its terrorist attack that killed more than 1,200 Israelis. “Israel will not remain silent – there will be further serious consequences,” Katz wrote. “If Spain implements its intention to recognize a Palestinian state, there will be similar steps.”
Norway, Ireland and Spain have announced that they will recognize Palestine as a state on May 28th. There can be “no peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition,” said Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre. “Palestinians have a fundamental, independent right to their own state. Both Israelis and Palestinians have the right to live in peace in separate states,” the Norwegian government said in a press release.
It is not surprising that Ireland and Spain are also following Norway’s plan. In March, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez signed a joint declaration in Brussels with the heads of government of Ireland, Slovenia and Malta in which the four EU countries expressed their willingness to recognize an independent Palestinian state. In April, Sánchez traveled to Norway and Ireland. The three countries assured that they would coordinate closely on the recognition. Sweden recognized Palestine as a state ten years ago.