The prime ministers of Ireland and Norway today supported the formal recognition of a Palestinian state after separate talks with the head of the Spanish government, who is leading the campaign to that end.
New Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said after a meeting with his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez that Ireland is close to formally recognizing a Palestinian state and would like to do so in agreement with Spain and other like-minded countries.
Spain and Ireland, which have long advocated for Palestinian rights, announced last month with Malta and Slovenia that they would work together to recognize a Palestinian state. The efforts come as the rising death toll in the Gaza Strip from the Israeli offensive prompts global calls for a ceasefire and a lasting solution to peace in the region.
The meeting with Harris was part of a series of activities Sanchez planned this Sunday with his EU counterparts to try to gain support for the recognition of a Palestinian state.
He said after a meeting in Oslo with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gar Store earlier today that there are "clear signs" that European countries are ready to recognize a Palestinian state.
"Norway is ready to recognize the state of Palestine," Store said at a press conference with Sanchez, adding that such a decision should be made in close cooperation with "like-minded countries."
Store said no firm deadlines have been set for the recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Two Palestinians were killed and three were wounded today in clashes with Israelis in the occupied West Bank.
Dozens of Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian village, killing one Palestinian and injuring 18. Israeli settlers who were looking for a missing 14-year-old Israeli shot at Palestinians and set fire to their houses - says the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din, and the Israeli army is investigating.
The Palestinian movement Hamas said one of the dead was a local commander.
Since the start of Israel's war against Hamas in another Palestinian territory - the Gaza Strip - six months ago, the Israelis have killed more than 460 Palestinians in the West Bank.
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The European Union (EU) announced today that it is imposing sanctions on the military branches of the Palestinian movement Hamas and Islamic Jihad for "widespread sexual violence" during the October 7 attack on Israel.
Fighters from the Al-Quds Brigades - the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, the Nuhba unit from Hamas and the Al-Qassam Brigade - the armed wing of Hamas, "committed widespread sexual and gender-based violence as a weapon of war in a systematic way" - the EU said.
The EU said abuses by Hamas fighters included "rape and murder of minors, mutilation of corpses and genital mutilation."
The EU accused the attackers of "targeted abduction of women and girls". Hamas and Islamic Jihad are already on the list of terrorist organizations of the EU.
Three Palestinian entities have been added to the EU sanctions list for human rights violations. The sanctions apply to 104 individuals and 26 organizations from several countries.
The decision to introduce sanctions is part of an agreement between the EU states that provides for sanctions against Israeli settlers in the West Bank for violence against Palestinians.
The war in the Gaza Strip began with an attack by Hamas members on southern Israel on October 7, killing 1.170 people, mostly civilians, and Israel has since conducted a military retaliatory operation that has killed more than 33.600 people, mostly civilians, in Gaza.
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Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said there are "clear signs" in Europe that countries in the region are ready to recognize a Palestinian state, Reuters reports.
Sanchez earlier met with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gar Storje in Oslo amid his diplomatic campaign to win support for Palestinian statehood.
At least 33.634 Palestinians have been killed and 76.214 injured in the Israeli military offensive on Gaza since October 7, the Gaza Ministry of Health announced today, reports Reuters.
In the past 24 hours, 89 Palestinians were killed and 120 were injured.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has entered its 189th day
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