The issue of Palestinian statehood has plagued the international community for decades.
After the October 7 attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strengthened his opposition to such plans, saying the creation of a Palestinian state would threaten Israel's security.
Netanyahu added Wednesday that the creation of a Palestinian state would lead to a repeat attempt of Oct. 7, and condemned the move by Norway, Spain and Ireland as a “tablet on terrorism.”
On October 7, Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing about 1,200 people. They took another 252 people hostage to Gaza.
Israel's subsequent offensive in Gaza has killed more than 35,000 people, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry.
Most countries in the world already recognize the state of Palestine. Earlier this month, 143 out of 193 members of the UN General Assembly voted in favor of joining the UN. This is something only a country can do.
Before Wednesday's announcement, only nine European countries supported Palestinian statehood, a decision most of them made in 1988 when the country was still part of the Soviet bloc.
Most other European countries and the United States still believe that recognition should only occur as part of a long-term two-state solution to the conflict.
A White House spokesman said US President Joe Biden has been a “strong supporter” of a two-state solution and believes “a Palestinian state should be achieved through direct negotiations, not unilateral recognition.”
Slovenia and Malta also recently said they were considering formal recognition.
Norway's prime minister said Wednesday he hoped recognition of a Palestinian state by the three countries would bring new momentum to peace talks.
Long-running negotiations in Cairo aimed at securing a ceasefire and releasing additional hostages are currently at a stalemate.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to worsen. Earlier this week, the United Nations said food supplies to the southern Gaza city of Rafah had been cut off due to supply shortages and unrest.
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) recently applied for arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and Gaza Strip Hamas leader Yahya Shinwar on war crimes charges. Both Israel and Hamas condemned the move.
Israel has said an offensive in Rafah is necessary to eliminate Hamas, but the international community has warned that it will greatly worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
