Two Countries Officially Recognize Palestine as a State

The decision of Norway to recognize Palestine as an independent state has come into effect. This was stated in a message by Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, which was published on the government website.

“For more than 30 years, Norway has been one of the strongest supporters of the Palestinian state. Today, as Norway officially recognizes Palestine as a state, it marks an important milestone in the relations between Norway and Palestine,” the statement said.

The government of Spain has also officially recognized Palestine as a sovereign state. This was announced by the Kingdom's Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares. Norway's government had previously announced its decision to recognize Palestine as an independent state on May 22. Authorities in Ireland and Spain have also made similar announcements.

In response, the head of Israel's Foreign Ministry announced the recall of ambassadors from Dublin, Madrid, and Oslo for consultations. Meanwhile, the heads of diplomatic missions of Ireland, Spain, and Norway in Israel have been summoned to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, where they were presented a demarche.

Currently, more than 140 of the 193 countries in the UN recognize Palestine's statehood, including Russia.