Spain, Ireland and Norway have officially recognized a Palestinian state, a step towards long-standing Palestinian efforts after international outrage over the civilian deaths and humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip amid an Israeli offensive.
The joint decision of the two countries of the European Union and Norway, a nation with a strong diplomatic tradition in establishing peace, could create momentum for other EU countries to do the same, but also encourage further steps in the United Nations, deepening Israel's isolation.
Previously, seven members of the 27-member bloc of the European Union officially recognized the Palestinian state.
Five of them are former Eastern Bloc countries that announced recognition in 1988, as well as Cyprus, before joining the EU. Sweden recognized in 2014.
The Czech Republic, a member of the EU, says that the recognition of the former Czechoslovakia in 1988, of which it was once a part, does not apply to the modern state.
Slovakia's foreign ministry said the two sides confirmed mutual recognition when Slovakia became independent in 1992-93, and that the Palestinian state has had a fully functional embassy in Bratislava since 2006.
EU members Malta and Slovenia say they may follow suit, but not immediately.
About 140 out of about 190 countries represented in the UN have already recognized the Palestinian state.
Why is this important?
And the UN Partition Plan of 1947 calls for the creation of a Jewish state alongside a Palestinian state, but it was rejected by the Palestinians and the wider Arab world because it would give them less than half of the land even though Palestinians make up two-thirds of the population.
The following year's Arab-Israeli war secured additional territory for Israel, with Jordan taking control of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and Egypt taking control of Gaza.
In the 1967 war, Israel captured all three territories, and decades of peace negotiations collapsed.
The United States, Great Britain and other Western countries have supported the idea of an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel as a solution to the Middle East's most intractable conflict, but insist that Palestinian statehood should come as part of a negotiated settlement.
However, there have been no substantive negotiations since 2009.
Although EU countries and Norway will not recognize an existing state, only the possibility of one, the symbolism helps strengthen the international position of the Palestinians and puts more pressure on Israel to open negotiations to end the war.
Also, this move gives additional importance to the issue of the Middle East ahead of the elections for the European Parliament from June 6 to 9.
Why now?
Diplomatic pressure on Israel is mounting as the battle with Hamas continues into its eighth month.
The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on May 11 to grant Palestine new "rights and privileges" in a sign of growing international support for a vote on full voting membership.
The Palestinian Authority currently has observer status.
Officials from Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia said in March they were considering recognizing a Palestinian state as a "positive contribution" to ending the war.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said his cabinet would confirm the official recognition after a meeting on Tuesday.
"This is a historic decision whose only goal is to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace," Sanchez said.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement that "for more than 30 years, Norway has been one of the strongest advocates of a Palestinian state."
"Today, when Norway officially recognizes Palestine as a state, represents a turning point in relations between Norway and Palestine," Eide said.
What are the consequences after confession?
Although dozens of countries have recognized a Palestinian state, but none of the major Western powers, it is unclear what the effect will be after the moves by Spain, Ireland and Norway.
Even so, their recognition would mark a significant victory for the Palestinians, who believe it gives their struggle international legitimacy.
Little is likely to change on the ground in the short term.
Peace talks are at a standstill, and Israel's hardline government stands firm against Palestinian statehood.
What is Israel's response?
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz lashed out at Spain on Network X. He wrote in a post that the Sanchez government is "complicit in inciting genocide against the Jews and war crimes."
Israel, which rejects any move for international recognition of the Palestinians, recalled its ambassadors to Ireland, Norway and Spain after they announced the decision last week.
Steps like those by the three European countries will harden the Palestinian position and undermine the negotiation process, Israel claims, insisting that all issues should be resolved through negotiations.
Israel often responds to decisions by foreign countries deemed to be against its interests by summoning those countries' ambassadors and punishing the Palestinians through measures such as freezing tax transfers to the cash-strapped Palestinian Authority.
Who has recognized the Palestinian state so far?
About 140 countries have already recognized the Palestinian state, which is more than two-thirds of the UN member states.
Some major powers have indicated that their stance may be changing amid outrage over the fallout from Israel's offensive in Gaza, which has killed more than 36.000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. In its statistics, the Ministry does not differentiate between non-combatants and participants in the conflict.
Israel launched the offensive in October last year after Hamas militants stormed across the Gaza border into Israel, killing 1.200 people and taking around 250 hostages.
Great Britain has said that recognition of a Palestinian state cannot happen while Hamas remains in Gaza, but that it could happen while Israeli negotiations with Palestinian leaders continue.
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 said it will not recognize a Palestinian state for now.
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