Spain, Ireland, Norway recognise Palestine

On Wednesday, Spain, Ireland and Norway leaders announced that they would recognise Palestine. Israel reacted immediately by recalling its ambassadors to these countries.

The decision of the three West European countries is symbolic in more ways than one. Sweden was the first West European country to have recognised Palestine in 2014. It shows that the ground is shifting in Western Europe, the influential segment of the Western and developed world.

The leaders of these three countries were not breaking ranks with the fellow-liberal democracies. Rather, they were affirming the stance of the United States and other countries. US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken have made it pretty clear to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that there is only one solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, and that is the two-state solution.

After the Hamas attack on October 7 last year, Prime Minister Netanyahu has literally taken the two-state solution off the table as it were. But the Americans have refused to defer to Netanyahu’s angry stance. They have made it clear that sooner or later, and sooner than later, Israel and Palestine have to accept each other’s existence however difficult it may be for the two sides.

There is growing sympathy for the Palestinians, and for the people of Gaza especially because of the ruthless and relentless killing of civilians by the Israeli troops in their bid to eliminate Hamas leaders. The death toll in Gaza has crossed 35,000. The death toll of Israelis who died in the Hamas attack on October 7, according to Israeli official figures, is 1,200. And about 250 Israelis were taken hostage by Hamas, again according to the official Israel statement.

Israel is getting more isolated despite the fact that it has overwhelming military power compared to Hamas. Prime Minister Netanyahu wants the West to support Israel unconditionally. And that support is not coming even from America. France in reacting to the decision of Spain, Norway and Ireland said that the time is not yet ripe to recognise Palestine as a state, but even France concedes that there is no alternative to the two-state solution.

Recognition for Palestine has been a long time in the making. More than 60 countries including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, China, India, Russia and east European countries like Hungary recognised Palestine the moment Yasser Arafat declared an independent Palestinian state from Tunis in 1988.

In the latest round of polling, the UN General Assembly supported the admission of Palestine into the world body because Palestine already enjoys the status of the non-member state. As of today, 143 countries recognise Palestine as a state. And Israel in its total opposition to Palestine as a state stands more isolated than ever.

The recognition of Palestine by Spain, Norway and Ireland points to the growing sentiment in the West that it is a decision that cannot be put off any longer. And this could be the beginning of change in Western stance.

There are critics who point out that the recognition of Palestine as a state is paying lip service unless this is followed by strict diplomatic measures against Israel for its intransigent stance against Palestine. The young pro-Palestine protesters want substantive action against Israel. They want the Western corporations to stop their business deals with Israel because Israel uses the money to buy weapons and tyrannise the Palestinians.

It is true that unless Israel is brought under economic pressure by its Western supporters, the West’s recognition of Palestine as a state does not amount to much. The people of Palestine remain hapless victims of Israeli violence. More needs to be done for Palestine than the diplomatic act of recognition.