Paris- The announcement by three European countries to officially recognize the Palestinian state dealt a new diplomatic blow to Israel, which is suffering from international isolation whose features are beginning to unfold, despite its American ally continuing to support it politically and militarily.
The Israeli response to withdraw Tel Aviv’s ambassadors from Oslo, Madrid, and Dublin is a quick rebuke to the envoys of the three countries, while the White House statements came to confirm unconditional support for the Israeli side, as US President Joe Biden said that he “believes that the Palestinian state must be achieved through direct negotiations between… “Both parties, and not through unilateral recognition.”
While the move of Spain, Norway and Ireland was welcomed by supporters of the Palestinian cause, the features of this recognized state are still subject to criticism and questions.
The two-state solution debate
This tripartite initiative is scheduled to enter into force on May 28, with the aim of relaunching the peace process on the basis of a two-state solution, in line with the European position.
For his part, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Storhe said in a press conference on Wednesday that “there will be no peace in the Middle East without a two-state solution, which will not happen without a Palestinian state.”
Commenting on this, “Chairman of the Norwegian Palestine Committee” Lina Al-Khatib confirmed that the committee praised this recognition, but pointed out that the Palestinian people do not believe in the two-state solution, because it is unrealistic and they need self-determination themselves, whether a state with equal rights or two states.
Al-Khatib added – in an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net – that the Israeli government’s denunciations were expected from the beginning, but what is really worrying is raising the slogan of the two-state solution and presenting it as the only solution, and then consulting with Tel Aviv and allowing it to determine the form of this solution, as well as not addressing it. Not at all to give the Palestinians an agenda to decide on.
For her part, Norwegian Member of Parliament Ingrid Fiske indicated that there are different opinions among the Palestinians about whether there should be a two-state solution at the present time or not, adding that the Israeli occupation is moving very quickly and that the areas belonging to the Palestinians are disappearing, in addition to what is happening today in Gaza. Therefore, emphasis should be placed on the importance of this recognition, which will contribute to defining the features of the Palestinian state.
Fiske, in exclusive statements to Tel Aviv Tribune Net, does not consider this recognition only supportive of the Palestinian cause, but rather strengthens the Palestinians’ negotiating position.
She said, “If there is one party stronger than the other, and it is also a state recognized by the United Nations, then this recognition of Palestine will be a way to try to achieve some kind of balance of power.”
State landmarks
Regarding the weaknesses in the details of this recognition, which was described as “historic,” Al-Khatib said, “Spain, Norway, and Ireland provided indications about the features of the Palestinian state headed by President Mahmoud Abbas, but this matter will certainly not succeed, because opinion polls conducted recently in Palestine reveal that support “For the current government and president, it is very low.”
In her opinion, the ministers of these countries touched on Israel’s right to defend itself, and described the Hamas operation on October 7, 2023, as a “terrorist act,” and their assertion that this recognition of Palestine as a state does not mean recognition of Hamas, “is contradictory, because this The countries themselves follow the United Nations definition, which does not classify this movement as a terrorist organization.”
On the other hand, Spanish Senator Claudo Martinez believes that the matter is mainly related to human rights and the right of the Palestinian people to obtain their own state, so European Union countries must support the Spanish government’s decision.
In an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune Net, Martinez stressed “the necessity of staying away from criticizing everything, and welcoming any step taken towards recognizing Palestine as a state, because what is happening now must be considered a beginning, and a step forward towards solving this problem that the Palestinians have been suffering from for decades.”
The Spanish senator pointed out that the right-wing political parties in his country are not satisfied with this government move, because it does not separate the rights of the Palestinian people and their struggle from the Hamas movement, and this is what makes them hesitant to agree to this recognition, he said.
Conditional recognition
The leaders of the three countries stressed, in their closely coordinated statements, that a peace agreement could not be reached with the right-wing Israeli government, which opposes the two-state solution and is expanding settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, but at the same time they maintained some views that come in one form or another. In favor of Tel Aviv.
For example, Fiske points out that her Norwegian government’s position on recognizing a Palestinian state and even her party’s position “does not mean that we do not want to talk to Israel, because we want to keep diplomatic channels open.” She added that they expected Tel Aviv to summon its ambassador to express their dissatisfaction with the recognition decision, but they are monitoring how long this situation will continue.
The leader of the Socialist Left Party in Norway went on to say that the Israelis do not want to recognize Palestine, because they aim to eliminate the Palestinian people and eradicate them from their land, “in addition to their desire to destroy international support for Palestine.”
In the same context, the head of the Norwegian Palestine Committee, Lina Al-Khatib, said that these countries condition their recognition of Palestine as a state on the existence of a “moderate” Palestinian government, and they explicitly reject Hamas assuming power, “which means that they do not propose self-determination or a true democratic Palestinian state.”
Al-Khatib stressed that if this recognition is not followed by real pressure on the Israeli occupation demanding its immediate withdrawal, it will have no real value, noting that the “Norwegian Sovereign Fund” is considered the largest investor in Europe in companies linked to the Israeli occupation and settlement, “and therefore, we cannot say We recognize Palestine as a state without working for the existence of that state or allowing it to occur.”