EU Palestinian Support, Widespread Aurora & Supervolcano in Italy

Spain, Ireland and Norway Recognize Palestinian State

Just days after the International Criminal Court filed applications for arrest warrants against Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged “war crimes,” three European nations announced they intended recognize a Palestinian state.

Spain, Ireland and Norway on Wednesday said they would formally recognize and stand behind the Palestinian cause next week, on May 28, in a landmark decision that Israel immediately condemned. Their decision now means that more than a third of the 27-nation European Union has officially sided with a two-state solution, which deepens Israel’s isolation on the world stage.

Other EU countries have recognized Palestine for decades, including Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Czechia, Slovakia, and Cyprus. Sweden announced its support of Palestine in 2014.

Most of the countries in the United Nations—140 out of 193 nations—also recognize Palestinian statehood, but the recognition of the three latest countries has caused a stir. In particular, Norway’s participation has gotten attention because that country was so influential in negotiating the Oslo Accords in the 1990s. That series of agreements was intended to resolve the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, involving Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat, and U.S. President Bill Clinton.