Achi news desk-
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz ordered the Israeli ambassadors from Ireland and Norway to immediately return to Israel, as Norway has said it will recognize a Palestinian state and Ireland is expected to do the same.
“Ireland and Norway intend to send a message today to the Palestinians and to the whole world: terrorism pays,” said Katz.
He said the recognition could delay efforts to return Israel’s hostages held in Gaza and reduce the chances of a cease-fire by “retaliating against the jihadists of Hamas and Iran.” He also threatened to recall Israel’s ambassador to Spain if the country took a similar position.
Earlier Wednesday in announcing Norway’s recognition of a Palestinian state, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Storr said that “there can be no peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition.”
Gahar Storr said that the Scandinavian country will officially recognize a Palestinian state as of May 28. “By recognizing a Palestinian state, Norway supports the Arab peace plan,” he said.
Several EU countries have indicated in recent weeks that they plan to implement the recognition, arguing that a two-state solution is essential for lasting peace in the region.
Norway, which is not a member of the European Union but reflects its moves, was an enthusiastic supporter of the two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
“The terrorism was carried out by Hamas and militant groups that do not support the two-state solution and the State of Israel,” said the leader of the Norwegian government.
“Palestine has a fundamental right to an independent state,” said Gahar Storr at a press conference.
The move comes as Israeli forces led assaults on the northern and southern edge of the Gaza Strip in May, prompting a new exodus of hundreds of thousands of people, and sharply limiting the flow of aid, raising the risk of famine.
The Scandinavian country “will therefore treat Palestine as an independent country with all the rights and obligations that come with it,” Gaher Storr said.
Norway’s recognition of a Palestinian state comes more than 30 years after the first Oslo Accords were signed in 1993.
Since then, “the Palestinians have taken important steps towards a two-state solution,” the Norwegian government said.
It said that the World Bank determined that Palestine met key criteria to function as a state in 2011, that national institutions were built to provide the population with important services.
“The war in Gaza and the constant expansion of the illegal settlements in the West Bank still mean that the situation in Palestine is more difficult than it has been in recent decades,” the Norwegian government said.
(Except for the headline, this story was not edited by the Kashmir Monitor staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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