In a significant event hailed by prominent Palestinian leaders and representatives from surrounding Arab states, Spain, Ireland, and Norway have formally acknowledged the Palestinian state. This happened amidst escalating hostilities in Gaza, with Israel leading a destructive war. The move has been expressed as a victory for truth and justice by the head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO), Hussein al-Shaikh, following a long history of Palestinian resistance marred with suffering, persecution, and destruction.
The PLO, under Fatah’s rule, comprises 11 secular factions excluding the Muslim extremist groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The influential PLO has been at the helm of the Palestinian national movement since its inception in East Jerusalem on May 28, 1964. Notably, the recognition of Palestine as a state comes precisely six decades following this.
President Mahmoud Abbas’s office showed gratitude for the nations’ decision that validates the Palestinians’ right to self-rule on their own soil. Abbas regards this as a tangible step in the two-state solution, which would see the birth of a sovereign Palestinian state neighboring Israel. He commended Ireland and Norway for their continuous support of Palestinian rights over numerous years.
The Palestinian foreign ministry expressed that these acknowledgments comply with international laws and pertinent United Nations resolutions. They hope this will pave the way to terminating Israel’s occupation and ensuring regional peace and stability.
A high-ranking Hamas official, Bassem Naim, conveyed to a French media outlet that these measures are the result of the valiant resistance and remarkable persistence of the Palestinian people. He anticipates this will serve as a turning point in the global attitude towards the Palestinian question.
Ahmed Aboul Gheit, secretary general of the Arab League, comprising 22 nations, thanked the three European states for their audacious position on the Arab-Israeli disturbance. Simultaneously, Gulf Co-operation Council’s head, Jasem Albudaiwi, labelled the recognition a crucial step toward achieving the two-state solution.
Following the declaration of recognition by these countries, Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, accused the radical Israeli government of implementing additional illegal actions that thwart all possibilities of a Palestinian state. Egypt’s foreign ministry agreed that this recognition would strengthen attempts to establish a Palestinian state and back the legitimate rights of the Palestinians to end the Israeli occupation.
The Saudi foreign office has issued a call for more countries to join the trio in their stance. Independent Palestinian politician, Mustafa Barghouti, in conversation with Al-Jazeera stated that the acknowledgement from these European nations is a substantial symbolic gesture, promoting liberty and fairness for the people of Palestine. He mentioned it “validates that Palestine remains an occupied state” by countering the effects of the unlawful Israeli settlements.
Barghouti continued stating that any attempts by the occupying authority to alter realities on the ground are fruitless and will not cause a lasting impact. He further articulated that it also delivers a setback to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and emphasizes that the extreme ideologies in the Israeli government has no sustainability.
A Palestinian sub-state in parts of the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem was declared in Algiers on the 15th of November in 1988. This declaration was readily acknowledged by a number of Arab, Muslim and progressing nations.
In functional terms, parts of the West Bank are governed by the Palestinian Authority, which is led by Fatah, whilst control of the separate Gaza Strip has been under Hamas since 2007. East Jerusalem and some parts of the West Bank are under the direct control of Israel.