Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide confirmed – in an interview with Tel Aviv Tribune – that his country’s official recognition of the Palestinian state will enter into force next week on May 28, stressing the necessity of finding a settlement to the Palestinian issue.
He revealed an important meeting that he described as being held in Brussels on Sunday, accompanied by Arab ministers and representatives from the Palestine Liberation Organization, “to build the broader context within the framework of our recognition of the Palestinian state.”
The Norwegian minister explained that the decision to recognize the Palestinian state comes “in support of the Arab initiative to create a regional peace that links different elements together and brings us to a political settlement,” and it came at this time “to take us to another, less violent path, and lead to a settlement, finding and establishing peace for the Palestinian people so that the region can enjoy.” “Peace be upon you.”
He added that Norway had been working for many years to recognize the Palestinian state, and postponed the matter, but is doing so now “to build a Palestinian state under the Palestinian Authority and to demonstrate more equality and justice between the Palestinian and Israeli sides.”
The Norwegian minister said, “More countries will unite in saying that a Palestinian state must be established and recognized, and we believe that it will be helpful in achieving regional peace, where the Palestinian state is one of the components of this peace.”
He stressed that “there is no alternative to achieving peace for the Palestinians and the Israeli people other than implementing the two-state solution,” stressing that Norway adopts this view.
Spain and Ireland also announced official recognition of the Palestinian state, and the Norwegian minister revealed in his statement to Tel Aviv Tribune that other European countries would like to take such a step in the future.
On the other hand, the Norwegian minister acknowledged that Western countries were late in recognizing the Palestinian state, saying, “The current tragedy and killing in Gaza could have been avoided if Palestine had been recognized after the Oslo Accords in the 1990s.”
Unacceptable situation
The Norwegian Foreign Minister stated that “a number of Arab countries have made an offer to normalize relations with Israel in exchange for a process leading to a Palestinian state,” stressing that his country is working with the countries of the region and with the Palestine Liberation Organization regarding other measures, and that next Sunday they will present the Palestinian government to Donors for coordination and action.
Regarding the Israeli reaction to Norway’s decision to officially recognize the Palestinian state, Barth Eddy said that they informed the Israelis of their point of view, and they did not accept it, acknowledging that there is a clear disagreement between his country and the current Israeli government.
Regarding the possibility of Norway joining the efforts of international courts examining the crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinians, the Norwegian Foreign Minister said that his country is one of the 124 countries that signed the Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court, and “we will follow up on this case if the court’s prosecutor follows it up, to encourage it to continue this work.” “.
On the other hand, Barth Edi described the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip as catastrophic and unacceptable, and called for increasing aid and supporting efforts to stop the war, stressing that before October 7 the situation was not stable, so the issue of the Palestinian people must be settled.