Israel’s foreign ministry on Thursday warned the ambassadors of Ireland, Spain and Norway that their recognition of a Palestinian state would have “severe consequences”.
“There will be severe consequences in relations with those countries because of their decision,” announced Jacob Blitstein, director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after the meeting with the ambassadors.
They were invited to the talks a day after their countries announced they would recognize Palestine on May 28.
At the meeting, the ambassadors were shown a video of the kidnapping of five female soldiers during the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7.
In a video of about three minutes, which was published by world media on Wednesday, young women are sitting on the floor with bloodied faces and tied hands at the Nahal Oz base in the south of Israel.
It was extracted from two now long recordings of a camera worn by one of the Hamas militants during the attack, according to a statement from the Family Forum, an Israeli association of families of hostages.
During Thursday’s meeting, Blitstein “reprimanded the ambassadors for the perverse decision of their governments to recognize a Palestinian state,” the ministry said in a statement.
It is added that this recognition will make it difficult to agree on the release of the hostages held in Gaza since October 7.
The coordinated decision by Oslo, Dublin and Madrid was made a few days after the war crimes prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) simultaneously asked ICC judges to approve arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and three Hamas leaders.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who has visited several countries to drum up support for Palestinian recognition, said the decision would bolster efforts to reach a two-state solution.
Israel reacted strongly, immediately recalling its ambassadors from those three countries “for consultations”.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that the joint announcement by European countries was a “reward for terrorism”, adding that a sovereign Palestinian state would be a “terrorist state”, Hina writes.
