Palestinian state seen as 'the beginning

Decision by Norway, Ireland, Spain upends edict that sovereignty must follow negotiated peace

- ALLAN WOODS

Is peace with Israel a prerequisite for a Palestinian state, or could statehood set the stage for a lasting solution to the conflict?

In the decades that Israelis and Palestinians have been battling for land, Israel’s bottom line has been clear: there must be a negotiated peace before a two-state solution can be discussed.

Norway, Ireland and Spain’s joint announcement Wednesday that they would recognize a Palestinian state is an upending of the edict that Palestine’s political sovereignty can only come after the guns and weapons have been laid down.

The status-quo strategy, in the words of Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, “has not been successful.”

“There will be no peace in the Middle East without a two-state solution. There can be no twostate solution without a Palestinian state,” he said in a statement.

“In other words, a Palestinian state is a prerequisite for achieving peace in the Middle East.”

Or, as Irish Foreign Minister Micháel Martin put it: “Recognition of Palestine is not the end of a process. It is the beginning.”

Israel has recalled its ambassadors to the three countries for consultations on the decision, which will come into effect Tuesday. This is a standard display of diplomatic displeasure — one meant to show that “Israel will not back down against those who undermine its sovereignty and endanger its security,” according to Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz. 

But Israel is truly enraged by the decision, particularly after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, which killed about 1,200 people and saw more than 240 others taken hostages.