Israel has reacted with anger, but recognition might open doors to negotiations
A little Palestinian girl carries containers to collect water as she walks by houses that were destroyed in an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza Strip. Photo: Reuters
The recognition of Palestine by Ireland, Norway and Spain is a bold diplomatic move and may well go down in history as the instrument that started unblocking the logjam of factors preventing peace between Israel and Palestine.
The three countries join Sweden, another leading European diplomatic source of soft power, in recognising Palestine in an attempt to carve out a much-needed political space in a conflict that has taken a turn of kinetic savagery beyond even that usually experienced in the Middle East.