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‘It’s Reward For Terror’ – Israel’s Netanyahu Blasts Ireland, Norway, Spain For Recognising Palestinian State

Published

1 year ago

May 22, 2024

Israel has reacted to the recognition of a Palestinian state by Ireland, Norway and Spain on Wednesday even as the war against Hamas continues more than seven months in devastating Gaza.

Recall that the three European countries said they would formally recognise the State of Palestine on May 28, drawing praise from many Arab and Muslim states.

According to AFP, in a swift reaction, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move amounted to a “reward for terror”, after Palestinian militant group Hamas launched its October 7 attack which sparked the Gaza war.

Israel said it was recalling its envoys to Dublin, Oslo and Madrid for “urgent consultations” and also summoned the three European ambassadors for a rebuke.

European Union foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell posted on X that he would work with the bloc’s 27 members “to promote a common EU position based on a 2-state solution”.

Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, on his first visit since October 7 to the contested religious site of the Temple Mount in the Old City of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem, said the recognition rewarded “murderers and aggressors”.

His visits to the site — known as the Al-Aqsa mosque compound to Muslims — have been cited by Hamas as one reason for the group’s October attack on Israel, which it called “Al-Aqsa Flood”.

The White House said President Joe Biden opposed unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, saying it should be realised “through direct negotiations”.

Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned Israel not to withhold funding intended for the Palestinian Authority in retaliation.

Most Western governments, including the United States, say they are willing to recognise Palestinian statehood one day — but not before thorny issues such as final borders and the status of Jerusalem are settled.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said “recognition of Palestine is a means of supporting the moderate forces which have been losing ground in this protracted and brutal conflict”.

“In the midst of a war, with tens of thousands killed and injured, we must keep alive the only alternative that offers a political solution for Israelis and Palestinians alike: Two states, living side by side, in peace and security.”

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Netanyahu was “causing so much pain, destruction and resentment in Gaza and the rest of Palestine that the two-state solution is in danger”.

And Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris called the October 7 attack “barbaric” but stressed that “a two-state solution is the only way out of the generational cycles of violence, retaliation and resentment”.

‘Important step’

According to the Palestinian Authority, which rules parts of the occupied West Bank, 142 of the 193 UN member countries already recognise a Palestinian state.

The Palestine Liberation Organization, seen internationally as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, hailed Wednesday’s moves as “historical”.

Hamas also welcomed “an important step towards affirming our right to our land”, while Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas political bureau member, said it would mark “a turning point in the international position on the Palestinian issue”.

A Palestinian in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah, Ismail Hassuna, 46, said the European trio’s decision was a step that “will restore hope” and should help in efforts to “stop Israel from its heinous crimes”.

Political analyst Ines Abdul Razek, who heads the Palestine Institute for Public Democracy, called the decision symbolic but “not a great victory”.

She said what was needed was “actual measures, including sanctions and arms embargoes” against Israel.

Hamas’s October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

The militants also took 252 hostages, 124 of whom remain in Gaza, including 37 the army says are dead.

On Wednesday a hostages campaign group released footage of five Israeli female soldiers being captured by militants on October 7 and taken away.

Speaking about the video, Netanyahu vowed to continue fighting Hamas to “ensure what we have seen tonight never happens again”.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 35,709 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.

Israel also imposed a siege that has deprived Gaza’s 2.4 million people of most water, food, medical and fuel supplies, and brought much of the population to the brink of famine.

Deadly fighting

Fierce fighting has raged around Rafah, the last part of Gaza to face a ground invasion, where an AFP team reported more bombardment early Wednesday.

Heavy battles have also rocked Gaza’s northern and central areas where Hamas forces have regrouped, and more Israeli strikes have hit Gaza City, Jabalia and Zeitun.

Israel said its troops were fighting on the ground in Rafah and Jabalia, and three more soldiers were killed on Wednesday, bringing the army’s toll since the ground offensive began on October 27 to 287.

Ten people were killed in the central town of Al-Zawaida overnight, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said, and Gaza’s civil defence agency said six bodies were recovered from the rubble of a house in Jabalia.

Israel’s military said soldiers had carried out targeted raids on dozens of Hamas military compounds in Jabalia.

The World Health Organization has said northern Gaza’s last two functioning hospitals, Al-Awda and Kamal Adwan, were besieged, trapping more than 200 patients.

Israeli troops began their ground assault on Rafah early this month, defying international opposition over fears for the more than one million civilians trapped there.

Israel ordered mass evacuations from Rafah, and the UN says more than 800,000 people have fled.

Heavy fighting has also rocked the other major Palestinian territory, the occupied West Bank, where an Israeli raid entered its second day in the city of Jenin.

The Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry said Israeli forces had killed 10 people since the fighting began on Tuesday morning.

Related Topics:Gaza Hamas Israel Israeli

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UPDATED: INEC Declares Soludo Winner Of Anambra Guber Poll

Published

2 hours ago

November 9, 2025

Editor

The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has been declared the winner of the Saturday, November 8, 2025, Anambra State governorship election by the Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Edoba Omoregie.

Soludo, who polled a total of 422,664 votes, defeated his closest rival, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Nicholas Ukachukwu, who scored 99,445 votes, while the candidate of the Young Progressives Party, Sir Paul Chukwuma, came third with 37,753 votes.

According to INEC, a total of 16 candidates from various political parties participated in the election.

The state had 2,788,864 registered voters, out of which 598,229 were accredited. A total of 595,298 votes were cast, while 11,244 votes were rejected across the 21 local government areas.

From the results announced, Soludo of APGA won in all 21 local government areas of the state in a landslide victory.

Announcing the results at the INEC headquarters in Awka on Sunday, Omoregie said, “The number of registered voters was 2,788,864, while accredited voters were 598,229. The total valid votes stood at 584,054, rejected votes were 11,244, and the total votes cast amounted to 595,298.”

He added, “After collating the results as tallied into Form EC8E, it is now my privilege to declare the figures each candidate scored according to their political parties.

“There were a few areas affected by incidents, leading to cancellations in some wards across Anambra West, Anaocha, Awka South, and Onitsha South LGAs, amounting to 10,481 affected votes. However, the margin of lead between the top candidates did not affect the overall outcome of the election.

“I, Prof. Edoba Omoregie, Returning Officer for the 2025 Anambra State Governorship Election, hereby declare that the election was peaceful. Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, having scored 422,664 votes — the highest number of valid votes cast and having satisfied the requirements of the law — is hereby declared the winner and returned elected.”

Breakdown of results:

Total registered voters: 2,788,864

Total accredited voters: 598,229

Total valid votes: 584,054

Rejected votes: 11,244

Total votes cast: 595,298

Votes by political parties:
A – 224
AA – 1,145
AAC – 292
ADC – 8,208
APC – 99,445
APGA – 422,664
APM – 892
APP – 73
BP – 126
LP – 10,576
NNPP – 525
NRM – 36
PDP – 1,401
SDP – 241
YPP – 37,753
ZLP – 453

News

BREAKING: Soludo Sweeps Anambra Guber Election

Published

5 hours ago

November 9, 2025

Editor

The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the Anambra governorship election, Prof. Charles Soludo has been declared winner of the poll.

Returning Officer of the election, Prof. Edoba declared Soludo winner having polled
422,664 votes to defeat his closest opponent.

More details coming

News

AnambraDecides: CTA Frowns at Logistic Challenge, Ill-treatment Meted On Security Personnel

Published

6 hours ago

November 9, 2025

Editor

The Center for Transparency and Advocacy on Saturday frowned at the logistic challenges faced during the Anambra governorship election despite INEC claimed preparedness.

The organisation also chided authorities concerned over ill- treatment meted on security personnel who were deployed from different on special special duty during the election.

In an mid-election briefing in Awka, Prof Alex Asigbo, an expert observer with the CTA said the election was held in a relatively atmosphere of peace, amidst heavy deployment of security personnel.

Asigbo, who emphasized the need for INEC to carry out more voters education, disclosed that it was observed that while voting was ongoing, a church programme was being held in a part of Akwa.

He said, “The Anambra State Gubernatorial Election, one of the off-season elections in today’s Nigeria’s electoral calendar held across 21 Local Governments on the 8th November 2025.

“The election held as scheduled in a relatively peaceful atmosphere, amid heavy deployment of police and other security agencies. We had noted the general climate of peace in the build up to the elections. CTA deployed 50 trained election observers across the 21 local government areas to observe the election.

“Recall that in our pre-election assessment, we raised concerns on the preparedness of INEC, logistics, security, and the role of political actors in delivering a free, fair, credible, inclusive and conclusive elections.The following are the preliminary findings from our field observers deployed across the state: Time of arrival of INEC Officials and materials/ Commencement of voting

“Reports from our field observers indicate that INEC officials and materials arrived late in many polling units, resulting in late opening of polls in many polling units. In about 68 percent of polling units, INEC officials and material arrived between 8:25 to 9am, while in about 31 percent of the polling units, voting commenced much later – between 8:30 and 10:00am.CTA notes that INEC is yet to resolve its logistics challenge, as earlier highlighted in our pre-election press briefing.”

He said that despite assurances from the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), CTA observers reported that logistics arrangements, including vehicles deployment, were inadequate, adding that In some instances, hired vehicles for the election refused to pick up other INEC officials to polling units after making their initial drop-off, which further contributed to delays.

Continuing, he said.
“Our observers report that due to security reasons, INEC was forced to relocate voting in five communities of Azia, Orsumoghu, Mbosi, Ubuluisiuzo, Issekke and Lilu to the headquarters of Ihiala LGA . Voter Turnout/ Conduct of Voters Voter turnout was generally low. Many have been influenced by voter apathy, security concerns, and doubts about the credibility of the electoral process. Some of the citizens showed lack of interest in the election, one of such experience was at Demonstration Primary School at Agu Awka in Awka South where our observers reported a Church programme going on simultaneously with voting.

“We charged citizens to take civic duty very serious. INEC and Political parties must also take civil and voter education very serious to educate citizens. However, CTA commends the citizens for conducting themselves peacefully and in accordance with voting guidelines. “