Norway recognizes Palestinian state

 

The two-state solution is the only way to settle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Oslo has said

FILE PHOTO: A demonstrator waves the Palestinian flag © AFP / Georg Hochmuth

Norway has officially recognized Palestine as a state, the Nordic country’s government has said. The decision comes into force on May 28, it added.

Oslo is the tenth EU capital to recognize Palestinian statehood. Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia did so in 1988, with Sweden joining them in 2014.

“The Norwegian government has decided that Norway will recognize Palestine as a state,” Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said, as cited in a statement on the government’s official website.

Oslo is making the move amid the conflict in Gaza, in which “tens of thousands [are] killed and injured,” Store stressed. The aim is to “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,” he said.

Shortly after the announcement by Norway, Ireland also said it is recognizing Palestinian statehood.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz responded to the developments by recalling the country’s ambassadors from Ireland and Norway for immediate consultations. The same will happen to the ambassador in Spain if Madrid makes a similar move, he added.

“I am sending an unequivocal message to Ireland and Norway – Israel will not let this go quietly,” Katz said in a statement.

By recognizing the state of Palestine, Oslo and Dublin “intend to send a message to the Palestinians and the entire world – terror pays,” he said, claiming that they are “giving a prize to Hamas and Iran.”

This “parade of stupidity” by EU nations will not deter Israel from achieving its goal of “toppling Hamas” in Gaza, Katz stressed.

Spain announced that it is recognizing Palestinian statehood several minutes after the statement by the Israeli foreign minister.

By recognizing Palestine, Norway is “supporting the moderate forces which have been losing ground in this protracted and brutal conflict,” Store said. Oslo is also sending a “strong message” to other nations to follow its example, as this could eventually make it possible to resume the movement towards a two-state solution, he added.

"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. In other words, a Palestinian state is a prerequisite for achieving peace in the Middle East,” the prime minister explained.

https://www.rt.com/news/598024-norway-recognises-palestinian-state/