ALBAWABA - Following signals of official state recognition, three Irish government leaders will be holding a press conference today to reveal the official announcement to recognize the State of Palestine.
UPDATE
Norwegian Prime Minister announced that the official recognition of the State of Palestine will go into effect on May 28th.
The Irish government earlier announced preparations to recognize the State of Palestine by the end of May. National public broadcaster RTÉ and the Irish Times both indicated that the decision would be announced at the news conference.
The conference will include the presence of Irish Premier Simon Harris, Deputy Premier Micheál Martin, and Minister Eamon Ryan. "When we move forward, we would like to do so with as many others as possible to lend weight to the decision and to send the strongest message," Harris stated.
In addition to the Irish statement, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is anticipated to announce a date for formal recognition later today, as he promised last week.
Ireland and Spain will be joining 142+ states of the United Nations that recognize Palestine's sovereignty. Norway’s public broadcaster, NRK, and newspaper Aftenposten reported that the country is on the path of recognizing an independent Palestinian state.
Norway’s prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, said Oslo stood ready to make an announcement. "The question is when and in what context," he said.
In recent weeks, European Union members Ireland, Spain, Slovenia, and Malta hinted that they intended to make a recognition announcement, stating that a two-state solution was required for long-term stability in the region.
Since 1988, 139 of the UN's 193 member states have officially recognized Palestinian statehood. The Irish government has previously stated that recognition would strengthen peace efforts and support a two-state solution.
Earlier in April, Palestinian envoy to the UN Riyad Mansour sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres requesting renewed consideration of its membership application.
The State of Palestine was admitted as an observer state to the UN General Assembly in 2012, allowing its envoy to participate in discussions and UN bodies but not vote.
The supporters' letter to the council president named 140 countries that have recognized Palestine as a state, including members of the United Nations' 22-nation Arab Group, the 57-nation Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and the 120-member Nonaligned Movement.
On September 23, 2011, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas presented the Palestinian Authority's application to become the 194th member of the United Nations to then-Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon before speaking to world leaders at the General Assembly.
