Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist groups were quick to praise the decision made by Norway, Ireland and Spain to recognize a Palestinian state, asserting that this decision is the result of the resistance and of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood (the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led massacres in southern Israel, in which over 1,200 Israelis were killed and over 240 were taken hostage).
The Palestine Resistance Committees, a terror group operating in the Gaza Strip under Hamas, stated that recognition of Palestine constitutes support for the jihad of the Palestinian people and confirms that armed resistance is the way to attain international support and resist occupation.
The Palestinian organizations called on the other countries of the world to follow the example of Norway, Ireland and Spain by recognizing a Palestinian state.
Al-Jazeera report titled "Hamas: We Call on Countries to Recognize Our National Rights and Support the Struggle of Our Palestinian People" (Facebook.com/AJA.Palestine, May 22, 2024)
Below are excerpts from the responses published by Hamas and other terror groups to the decision of the three countries.
Hamas Officials: The European States' Recognition Of Palestine Is the Result Of The Resistance And The Al-Aqsa Flood
A statement published by Hamas reads: "We welcome the recognition of the State of Palestine by Norway, Ireland and Spain, and we view this as an important step towards realizing our rights on our land and establishing our independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital. We call on countries throughout the world to recognize our legitimate national rights and to support the struggle of our Palestinian nation towards liberation and independence and towards the end of the Zionist occupation of our lands."[1]
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Hamas official Husam Badran told Al-Jazeera Mubasher: "We welcome the recognition of a Palestinian state by Norway, Ireland and Spain, and we see this as a step in the right direction." He stated further: "The European states' recognition of Palestine is the result of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and the steadfastness of the resistance."[2]
Hamas official Bassem Na'im told the Saudi daily Al-Sharq that the recognition is "a historic turning point" for the Palestinian cause on the international level, particularly in Europe, and added: "This will certainly encourage many countries to recognize Palestine as an independent state." He continued: "In the name of Hamas and the Palestinian people in the homeland and in the diaspora, we express our gratitude for the political courage shown by these countries despite the great pressure from the Zionist entity and its supporters around the world." He stressed: "The consecutive recognitions [of a Palestinian state] are the direct result of the brave resistance and the legendary steadfastness of our people." This, he elaborated, constitutes a "turning point in the international community with regard to the Palestinian cause, and it will contribute to the lifting of the siege imposed by the Israeli entity and its supporters."[3]
Palestine Resistance Committees: Recognition Of Palestine Constitutes Support For Jihad And Proof That Military And Armed Resistance Is The Correct Path
The Palestine Resistance Committees, a Gaza-based Palestinian terror group that operates in the Gaza Strip and is subordinate to Hamas, also published a statement on the subject, which said: "We welcome the announcement by Norway, Ireland and Spain about the recognition of the State of Palestine, and view this as an important step towards the international [community] freely uniting in support of our Palestinian nation in its land and also supporting its struggle, its jihad and its resistance, [which has been] the crown jewel of our nation's struggle for over 100 years.
"The Irish, Norwegian and Spanish recognition of the State of Palestine grants legitimacy to the resistance of our nation in confronting the crimes and massacres of the Zionist gangs that are occupying our land. This is a high-quality change in the stance of Europe, which has begun to understand the truth about the Zionist colonialist entity.
"This important and valued step validates that practical resistance on all levels – military, armed, media, and so forth – is the [correct] path towards coalescing the freedom-lovers of the world around our nation's rights, towards supporting these rights, and towards rejecting the Zionist occupation and aggression against our nation, our land and our holy places. We call on the other countries of the world, and particularly the Arab and Islamic [countries], to immediately recognize our national rights, to support the struggle of our Palestinian nation for liberation and independence, and to end the Zionist aggression on the land of Palestine, which has been continuing since the Nakba."[4]
PFLP: The Recognition Of The State Of Palestine Is The Result Of Our Nation's Resistance
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) published a statement saying: "[We] welcome the announcement by Ireland, Spain and Norway recognizing the State of Palestine and we see this as an advanced historic step which comes as a result of the resistance of our nation and our legendary steadfastness against the most despicable occupation that history has ever known. [This recognition] is the result of the important shifts in international opinion and of the widespread solidarity of the masses with Palestine, particularly in Europe and northern and southern America. The PFLP calls on all the countries of the world to emulate this important step on the path to actually realizing this [Palestinian] state as a practical reality on the ground, [and this] by recognizing the full, legitimate and eternal rights of the Palestinian people, expeling the Zionist occupation from our land and establishing a sovereign Palestinian state on all the territory of our homeland, with Jerusalem as its capital."[5]
