The Palestinian presidency on Wednesday welcomed the recognition of a Palestinian state by Spain, Norway and Ireland.
In a statement carried by Palestine news agency WAFA, the Palestinian presidency highly appreciated the contribution of this decision by Spain, Norway and Ireland in "consecrating the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination on their land and in taking actual steps to support the implementation of the two-state solution."
Two women walk on an asphalted road in the middle of a deserted camp for displaced Palestinians on the border with Egypt in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 22, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group. /CFP
"The right of peoples to self-determination is an established right recognized under international law," said the statement, calling on countries that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine to stand up to their responsibilities and acknowledge the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.
Before the announcement, eight European Union member states recognized the State of Palestine, including Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, Cyprus, and Sweden.
Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization Hussein Al-Sheikh considered the step a "historic moment."
Expressing gratitude to countries that have recognized and will recognize the independent State of Palestine, Al-Sheikh stressed that this is the path to stability, security, and peace in the region.
The Palestinians demand the establishment of an independent state alongside Israel with pre-1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital.