Several major European countries on Wednesday announced they would recognise Palestine as a state at the end of the month.

Norway and Spain said they would formally recognise Palestine as a state from May 28 onwards while Ireland also made a similar pledge.

Israel recalled its envoys from Ireland and Norway for "urgent consultations" in response to their decisions.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the decision to recognise a Palestinian state undermined Israel's right to self-defence and efforts to return the 128 hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.

The Palestinian Authority and its rival group Hamas both welcomed the recognition of a Palestinian state by the three countries.

Most Western governments, including the United States, say they are willing to one day recognise Palestinian statehood, but not before agreement is reached on thorny issues like its final borders and the status of Jerusalem.

However, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez charged that his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu's campaign of "pain and destruction" in the Gaza Strip was now putting the two-state solution in danger.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said "recognition of Palestine is a means of supporting the moderate forces which have been losing ground in this protracted and brutal conflict".

"In the midst of a war, with tens of thousands killed and injured, we must keep alive the only alternative that offers a political solution for Israelis and Palestinians alike: Two states, living side by side, in peace and security."

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris called the October 7 attack by Hamas on Israel "barbaric", but added that "a two-state solution is the only way out of the generational cycles of violence, retaliation and resentment". (Agencies)
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Last updated: 2024-05-22 HKT 17:09