Ireland, Norway, and Spain recognize the state of Palestine from today.
Ireland, Norway, and Spain hope that this symbolic action will focus attention on the necessity to end decades of conflict in the Middle East and revive the two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians.
Israel reacted angrily to this action and accused all three countries of rewarding terrorism.
Israel also withdrew its ambassadors from these three countries and formally issued warnings to their representatives in Israel.
However, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have welcomed this recognition.
Most UN member countries recognize Palestine as a state, although only a few European countries share this view.