Norway, Spain, Ireland To Recognise Independent Palestinian State

Norway, Spain and Ireland are set to recognise Palestine as an independent state, Reuters reported.

Norway will recognise a Palestinian state, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said on Wednesday. He stated that peace will not prevail in the Middle East if there is no recognition.

As per a report in the Associated Press, Norway will recognise Palestine as an independent state on May 28. "The terror has been committed by Hamas and militant groups who are not supporters of a two-state solution and the state of Israel," the Norway PM said. "Palestine has a fundamental right to an independent state," he told a press conference, reports the AP.

Hence, Norway "will therefore regard Palestine as an independent state with all the rights and obligations that entails," Gahr Støre said.

Norway, a close ally of the US, has actively sought to mediate peace between Israel and the Palestinians in recent decades. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere announced last month that Norway was prepared to decide on recognizing a Palestinian state, but the timing of this decision has not been finalized.

It has to be noted that Norway is not a member of the EU.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is set to announce the recognition of an independent Palestinian state on Wednesday, Reuters reported citing a government source. The Spanish recognition is likely to coincide with a similar announcement from the Irish government, according to a source familiar with the matter in Ireland.

Sweden became the first EU member in Western Europe to officially recognize the state of Palestine in 2014.

Among other EU member states that have recognized Palestine, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Malta, Poland, and Romania made this decision before joining the EU.