Israel recalls its ambassadors to Spain, Norway and Ireland for consultations over recognition of Palestinian statehood
Israel recalled the Israeli ambassadors to Spain, Norway and Ireland for consultations after these three nations announced their initiative to officially recognise the Palestinian state.
Norway, Spain and Ireland will officially recognise the State of Palestine on 28 May, as announced by their highest authorities, which has provoked the most absolute rejection on the part of the Israeli state, which has proceeded to recall its ambassadors to these nations for consultations, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Thus, Rodica Radian-Gordon, Israel's ambassador to Spain, Dana Erlizh, ambassador to Ireland, and Avi Nir-Feldklein, Israeli ambassador to Norway, will have to return to national territory and abandon their diplomatic missions in the countries that have opened a diplomatic crisis with the Middle Eastern country after its determination to support the establishment of a Palestinian state.
"I have ordered the immediate withdrawal of ambassadors for consultations in light of the decisions of these countries to recognise a Palestinian state," Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on social networking site X.
I have instructed the immediate recall of Israel’s ambassadors to Ireland and Norway for consultations in light of these countries' decisions to recognize a Palestinian state.
I’m sending a clear and unequivocal message to Ireland and Norway: Israel will not remain silent in the…— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) May 22, 2024
The call for consultations is a tool of diplomatic protest that involves the temporary recall of the ambassador to appear before the Foreign Ministry and to receive private instructions.
The Ministry asks its ambassador to return to his country. Depending on the case, this absence is of indeterminate duration. In this case, the aim of this measure is to send a symbolic message to these countries about the diplomatic crisis that has broken out, in a gesture that serves to show disagreement with the countries that have taken the decision to recognise the state of Palestine.
Alongside this move, Israel also summoned the diplomatic representatives of Spain, Ireland and Norway to its own territory to show its deep displeasure at the intention to officially recognise the Palestinian state.
The international community has worked on many occasions to resolve the Palestinian conflict through the formula of recognising two states in the same area, Israeli and Palestinian. But the details of formalising this formula have not been agreed for decades due to disagreements over how to implement this solution and where to locate, for example, the capital of each state, a clear reference to the dispute over Jerusalem, considered the key religious centre of the three main monotheistic religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
Serious conflict
Israel is now embroiled in the bloody war in Gaza against the Palestinian extremist Hamas movement. The conflict was sparked by Hamas' horrific attack on Israeli territory on 7 October, which left around 1,200 people dead, along with wounded and a number of people kidnapped and assaulted.
After suffering the offensive, Israel responded by attacking the Gaza Strip. A war that is still raging and has already left tens of thousands dead, despite international mediation led by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, whose diplomatic efforts have not yet succeeded in stopping the fighting.
The current scenario is certainly not the most appropriate for recognising the Palestinian state because Israel considers that any clear support for Palestine at this time would serve to reaffirm the theses of an organisation considered a terrorist organisation such as Hamas, which carried out the terrible attack on 7 October against Hebrew territory.
Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz warned the countries involved of the "grave consequences" of such political moves.
"Israel will not remain silent in the face of those who undermine its sovereignty and endanger its security," Israel Katz said on social networking site X, referring to Spain, Norway and Ireland.
"Today's decision sends a message to the Palestinians and to the world: terrorism pays. After the Hamas terrorist organisation carried out the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, after committing heinous sex crimes witnessed by the world, these countries chose to reward Hamas and Iran by recognising a Palestinian state," the Israeli Foreign Minister said, also referring to the Islamic Republic of Iran, a major supporter of Hamas in the region and one of the most destabilising actors in the Middle East, noted for its interference in the internal affairs of several countries through affiliated groups such as Hamas in Palestine, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Liwa Fatemiyoun in Afghanistan and the Popular Mobilisation Forces in Iraq.
