Three European nations have announced plans to recognize the State of Palestine, joining 143 other countries around the world in formal recognition. Leaders in Ireland, Norway and Spain cited a desire to support a political solution to the ongoing conflict in Gaza as the driving force behind the announcements, while Israel responded by recalling its ambassadors from all three countries. Israel’s Ambassador to Ireland Dana Erlich called the move a “prize for terrorism.” Catherine Connolly, an independent member of the Irish parliament, rejects Erlich’s characterization, instead calling recognition “a step for peace” and a “direct result of people’s outrage and upset” over Israeli brutality in Palestine. She connects the Palestinian national struggle with Ireland’s own fight for recognition at the League of Nations just over a century ago and its history with famine and colonialism. “Our solidarity is with people who suffer in any way, but particularly from famine,” Connolly says. “Next Tuesday will be historical, when we raise the Palestinian flag on the grounds of our parliament.”
Transcript
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: In an historic move, leaders from Ireland, Norway and Spain announced Wednesday they will formally recognize Palestine as an independent state May 28th. Israel responded by recalling its ambassadors from each of the countries. Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre spoke in Oslo Tuesday.
There can be no peace in the Middle East without Palestinians and Israelis having their own states and that there is a two-state solution. There cannot be a two-state solution without a Palestinian state. And in other words, peace in the Middle East requires a Palestinian state.
AMY GOODMAN: Ireland’s new prime minister, Simon Harris, referenced Ireland’s own history of emerging from colonial rule as he announced recognition of a Palestinian state.
PRIME MINISTER SIMON HARRIS: This is an historic and important day for Ireland and for Palestine. … Taking our place on the world stage and being recognized by others as having the right to be there was a matter of the highest importance for the founders of our state.
AMY GOODMAN: Ireland, Norway and Spain will join 143 other nations recognizing Palestine as a state. While Israel denounced the three nations, Palestinians in Gaza welcomed the move. This is Mahmoud Majed al-Aswad, a displaced Palestinian, speaking in Rafah.
MAHMOUD MAJED AL-ASWAD:
This is a great thing. We hope other countries will recognize the Palestinian state as Spain did recently and Norway and Ireland. We have the right to live like other countries, to have a state and to live in freedom like other countries in the world.
AMY GOODMAN: On the streets of Dublin, supporters of the move to recognize Palestine as a state spoke of Ireland’s long history of solidarity with Palestinians.
EVAN LANGRELL: Yeah, I think Palestine should be recognized as a state. I think Ireland and Palestine have a lot of, like, conjoined history, and we’ve been oppressed by similar groups and things in the past. And I think if Irish people can’t see the correlation there, then they either don’t know what it is to be Irish, they don’t understand enough about Irish history.
AMY GOODMAN: We go now to Dublin, where we’re joined by Catherine Connolly, independent member of the Irish parliament.
Democracy Now for more