Until now, the Spanish State has not recognised the Palestinian State. Neither the French State nor most European countries. But on Wednesday three European governments announced that next week they will officially recognise Palestine as a state: Norway, the Republic of Ireland and the Spanish State. With this measure, Israel has sought to promote the “two-state solution” in the Palestinian colonization process.

Only nine European countries have so far recognised the Palestinian State. The three States will join the group of Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Cyprus, Malta and Sweden on 28 May. Governments of Norway, Ireland and Spain have been in contact with other European countries in recent weeks and have announced that they expect some of them to take the same step in the near future. Over 140 countries in the world recognize the Palestinian State.

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The Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Kantze, has strongly criticised the decision of the three European countries. He accuses them of spreading the message of “Terrorism is worth it” and of awarding the gold medal to sixteen assassins. Israel says recognition of the Palestinian State reduces the chances of peace. The Minister for Foreign Affairs calls on the ambassadors of Norway, Ireland and Spain to an urgent meeting in which she warns that the steps will be “serious consequences”.

Sixteen and the Palestinian National Authority have applauded the announcement by the Palestinians. Sixteen is delighted with the recognition of East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. ANP President Mahmud Abas has said that the decision will help to strengthen the right of self-determination of the Palestinians and to take steps to resolve both states. It invites the countries of the world, and especially Europeans, to take the same decision.

The Norwegian Prime Minister, in announcing his intentions for recognition, has pointed out that the separation between Israel and Palestine must be based on the borders existing before June 1967. Similar statements have been made by Pedro Sánchez. They are therefore views against Israel ' s progress in the construction of colonies and occupation of Palestinian territory over the past 50 years.

The Spanish President opposed passivity in his speech and took advantage of his recognition to say “we are with you” to the Palestinians. But he also points out that the decision is not against Israel. Spain has sold many weapons to Israel, to the point of being the country that has sold the most in Europe for a few months. They have also been sold since 7 October, although they indicate that weapons will not be dispatched. On the other hand, it has never stopped buying products from Israel, whether military or security. The Ertzaintza also knows something about that.

Palestinian full membership process

On 10 May the UN General Assembly unanimously approved the measure of giving new “rights and privileges” to Palestine, but the General Assembly cannot directly decide on the Palestinian body. 143 votes to 9, with 25 abstentions by an absolute majority. The General Assembly urged the Security Council to review and approve again the request of Palestine to become a member of the UN No 194. In fact, the vote in the Security Council took place on 18 April, but the US vetoed the measure. In that decision, 12 of the committee’s 15 countries voted in favour and two abstentions.