Spain, Ireland and Norway officially recognized a Palestinian state on Tuesday, a step toward a long-held Palestinian aspiration fueled by international outrage over civilian deaths and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza as a result of the Israeli offensive.

The joint decision by two EU countries and Norway – a country with a strong diplomatic tradition in peacemaking – could provide the impetus for other EU countries to recognise a Palestinian state and could lead to further steps at the United Nations, deepening Israel's isolation.

Previously, seven member states of the 27-country European Union had officially recognized a Palestinian state. Five of them are former Eastern Bloc states that announced their recognition in 1988, as did Cyprus before joining the bloc. Sweden recognized the state in 2014.

The Czech Republic, an EU member, says recognition from the former Czechoslovakia – of which it was then a part – in 1988 does not apply to the modern state. The Slovak Foreign Ministry says both sides confirmed their mutual recognition when Slovakia became independent in 1992-93 and that the Palestinian state has had a fully functioning embassy in Bratislava since 2006.

EU member Slovenia is also moving in the same direction. Prime Minister Robert Golob said his government would decide on Thursday whether to recognize a Palestinian state and submit its decision to parliament for final approval.

About 140 of the approximately 190 countries represented in the UN have already recognized a Palestinian state.

Here's how and why the new European announcements could be important:

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

A 1947 UN partition plan called for the creation of a Jewish state alongside a Palestinian state. However, the Palestinians and the Arab world rejected this plan because it would have given them less than half of the land, even though Palestinians made up two-thirds of the population.

The Arab-Israeli war the following year gave Israel even more territory: Jordan controlled the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and Egypt controlled the Gaza Strip.

In the 1967 war, Israel occupied all three territories and decades of stalled peace talks failed.

The US, Britain and other Western countries support the idea of ​​an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel as a solution to the Middle East's most intractable conflict, but insist that Palestinian statehood should only be achieved through a negotiated settlement. There have been no substantive negotiations since 2009.

Even though the EU countries and Norway do not recognise an existing state, but only the possibility of one, this symbolism helps to strengthen the international standing of the Palestinians and increase pressure on Israel to start negotiations to end the war.

Furthermore, this step gives additional importance to the Middle East issue in the run-up to the European elections from 6 to 9 June.

WHY NOW?

Diplomatic pressure on Israel has increased as the battle with Hamas continues for eight months. The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on May 11 to grant Palestine new “rights and privileges,” a sign that international support is growing for a vote on full membership. The Palestinian Authority currently has observer status.

The heads of state of Spain, Ireland, Slovenia and Malta said in March that they were considering recognizing a Palestinian state as a “positive contribution” to ending the war.

“This is a historic decision with a single objective: to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace,” said Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez before his cabinet confirmed the decision.

The Palestinian flag was raised in Dublin in front of Leinster House, the seat of the Irish Parliament.

“There are practical steps you can take as a country to keep the hope and the goal of a two-state solution alive while others try to bomb it into oblivion,” said Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said: “Norway has been one of the strongest supporters of a Palestinian state for more than 30 years. Norway's official recognition of Palestine as a state today is a milestone in relations between Norway and Palestine.”

WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS OF RECOGNITION?

While dozens of countries have recognized a Palestinian state, none of the major Western powers have done so, and it is unclear what difference the three countries' move could make.

Nevertheless, their recognition would be a great success for the Palestinians, who believe that it would give their struggle international legitimacy.

In the short term, little is likely to change on the ground. Peace talks are at a standstill and Israel's hardline government is vehemently opposed to a Palestinian state.

HOW IS ISRAEL REACTING?

Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz sharply attacked Spain over X, saying that Sánchez's government was “complicit in inciting genocide against Jews and war crimes.”

Israel, which rejects any attempt to legitimize the Palestinians internationally, recalled its ambassadors from Ireland, Norway and Spain after they announced their decision last week.

Moves like those taken by the three European countries would harden the Palestinian position and undermine the negotiation process, Israel says, insisting that all problems should be resolved through negotiations.

Israel often responds to decisions by other countries that run counter to its interests by summoning those countries' ambassadors. It also punishes the Palestinians with measures such as freezing tax payments to the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority.

WHO RECOGNIZES A PALESTINIAN?

CONDITION?

About 140 countries have already recognized a Palestinian state, which is more than two-thirds of all UN members.

Some major powers have indicated that their stance may change amid outrage over the consequences of Israel's offensive in Gaza. According to the Health Ministry, more than 36,000 Palestinians have been killed in the offensive. The ministry makes no distinction between civilians and militants in its count. Israel launched the offensive after the October 7 Hamas-led attack in which militants crossed into Israel across the Gaza border, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostage.

Britain has said that recognition of a Palestinian state cannot happen as long as Hamas remains in Gaza, but that this could happen as long as Israel's negotiations with the Palestinian leadership are ongoing.

France has indicated that it is not ready to join other countries in recognizing a Palestinian state, even if it is not opposed to the idea in principle. Germany has stated that it will not recognize a Palestinian state for the time being.

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