Norway Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere has said that the Scandinavian country will be recognising a Palestine state.
Besides this, Ireland is also expected to announce the recognition of a palestine state, Reuters reported citing a source. Spain, too, could announce the same.
According to Gahr Stoere, the government will officially recognise a Palestinian state as of May 28. He had earlier said that “there cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition”.
Norway has been a staunch supporter of a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.
Its recognition of the Palestinian state comes over 30 years after the first Oslo Agreement was signed in 1993.
Israel recalls its ambassadors
The Israeli Foreign Minitser Israel Katz has now ordered the country’s ambassadors from ireland and Norway to return immediately.
“Ireland and Norway intend to send a message today to the Palestinians and the whole world: terrorism pays,” Katz said.
He added that such a recognition could delay the efforts being put in to bring Israeli hostages in Gaza. The move also makes a cease-fire less likely by “rewarding the jihadists of Hamas and Iran”, he said. Katz also threatened to recall Israel’s ambassador to Spain if it recognises Palestine as a state.
(With agency inputs)