Joe Biden visits Columbia, South Carolina. (Shutterstock)
White House rejects plan by Ireland, Spain, Norway to unilaterally recognize Palestinian statehood, calling for ‘direct negotiations.’
By David Rosenberg, World Israel News
The Biden administration on Wednesday pushed back on plans by three European countries to recognize Palestinian statehood, even without a final status agreement between Ramallah and Jerusalem.
On Wednesday, Ireland, Norway, and Spain announced that they will officially recognize Palestinian statehood on May 28th, leading Israel to recall its envoys to all three countries.
Hours later, a senior White House spokesperson responded to the controversy, telling CNN that while the president supports Palestinian statehood, he does not believe in unilateral steps.
“The president is a strong supporter of a two-state solution and has been throughout his career,” a White House National Security Council official said.
“He believes a Palestinian state should be realized through direct negotiations between the parties, not through unilateral recognition.”
Israel excoriated the governments of Norway, Spain, and Ireland Wednesday, calling their recognition of unilateral Palestinian statehood a reward for terrorism, in particular the massacres of October 7th.
“Today’s decision sends a message to the Palestinians and the world: Terrorism pays,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz (Likud) tweeted.
“I have instructed the immediate recall of Israel’s ambassadors… for consultations in light of these countries’ decisions to recognize a Palestinian state.”
Germany and France both distanced themselves from the decision by Norway, Ireland, and Spain to recognize Palestinian statehood without a final status agreement with Israel.
“Our position is clear: The recognition of a Palestinian state is not a taboo,” French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said in an interview with AFP Wednesday during a meeting with his Israeli counterpart.
“France does not consider that the conditions have been present to date for this decision to have a real impact in this process.”
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