Many European countries affirm recognition of the State of Palestine

On May 22, speaking at a press conference, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said that his country will recognize the State of Palestine starting from May 28, despite the Israeli government's objections to this.

Other countries including Ireland and Spain held press conferences on May 22 to announce their decisions to recognize the State of Palestine.

Last month, Spain and Ireland, long-time champions of Palestinian rights, along with Malta and Slovenia, announced that they would work towards recognizing the State of Palestine.

These efforts come amid escalating conflict between Israel and the Hamas Islamist movement in the Gaza Strip, prompting international calls for a ceasefire and a lasting solution for peace in the region.

Previously, the US and many other countries in Western Europe said they were ready to recognize the State of Palestine at some point in the future, but required reaching an agreement on core issues such as the final borders and the future status of Jerusalem.

On the evening of May 10 (local time) at the United Nations headquarters in New York (USA), the UN General Assembly passed a resolution calling on the Security Council to consider supporting Palestine to become an official member of the world's largest multilateral organization.