A man walks past graffiti reading ‘Victory to Palestine’ after Ireland has announced it will recognize a Palestinian state, in Dublin, Ireland, May 22, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Hannah McKay

The conditions to officially recognize a Palestinian state have not yet been met, France’s foreign minister said on Wednesday, after a group of other European countries announced plans to take such a step.

“Our position is clear: the recognition of Palestine is not taboo for France,” French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said in a statement after a meeting with his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, in Paris.

“This is not just a symbolic issue or a question of political positioning, but a diplomatic tool in the service of the solution of two states living side by side in peace and security,” Séjourné continued. “France does not consider that the conditions have yet been met for this decision to have a real impact on this process.”

Germany similarly expressed support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but added that a “process of dialogue” was needed to reach that point.

“An independent Palestinian state remains a firm goal of German foreign policy,” a foreign ministry spokesperson said at a news conference in Berlin. “It’s clear to us that this requires a process of dialogue.”

The French and German statements came on the same day that Spain, Norway, and Ireland announced coordinated plans to officially recognize a Palestinian state on May 28, next Tuesday. Leaders of all three countries argued such a move would help foster a two-state solution and lead to lasting peace in the region, explaining that the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in Gaza accelerated their plans.

“We hope that our recognition and our reasons contribute to other Western countries following this path, because the more we are, the more strength we will have to impose a ceasefire, to achieve the release of the hostages held by Hamas, to relaunch the political process that can lead to a peace agreement,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a speech to his country’s lower house.

He called the decision one “for peace, for justice, and for coherence,” claiming Spain will be “accompanied by other European countries.”

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris similarly said the recognition came from a belief in “freedom and justice,” and that peace can only be secured by “the free will of a free people.”

Speaking at a news conference in Dublin, Harris added that Ireland recognized Israel’s right to exist “securely and in peace with its neighbors” while calling for all hostages kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from Israel and taken to Gaza to be immediately returned.

Eamon Ryan, head of one of the Irish government’s three coalition parties said, said Ireland plans to upgrade its representative office in the West Bank to a full embassy and the Palestinian mission in Ireland will also be offered full embassy status, according to Reuters.

In Oslo, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said the only possible political solution between Israelis and Palestinians is the creation of a Palestinian state next to Israel.

“In the middle of a war, with tens of thousands of dead and injured, we must keep alive the only thing that can provide a safe home for both Israelis and Palestinians: two states that can live in peace with each other,” Store said at a press conference. “There cannot be peace in the Middle East if there is no recognition.”

Norway said the demarcation of the two states should be based on pre-1967 borders, with Jerusalem as capital of both.

Britain, Australia, and EU members Malta and Slovenia have indicated in recent months that they could soon follow suit.

The announcements drew fury from Israel, which recalled its ambassadors from Spain, Norway, and Ireland for immediate consultations.

“I am sending an unequivocal message … Israel will not let this go quietly,” Katz said, adding the three European envoys would be shown footage of the kidnapping of five female Israeli soldiers during Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel.

The footage will “underscore to them what a twisted decision their governments made,” Katz said in a statement. “Their step will have severe consequences.”

Israel had previously warned European countries that unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip would effectively amount to a “reward for terrorism” that would hurt the chances of a negotiated resolution to the conflict.

Some European lawmakers echoed that point. Michael Roth, head of the German parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, lambasted the moves to grant recognition.

“I fear this will not bring us any closer to the necessary two-state solution,” Roth told the German RND media outlet, adding that it also gives “the false impression that it was only the horrific terror by Hamas on Oct. 7 that led to a new positive dynamic in favor of the Palestinians.”

The US has maintained that Israel and the Palestinians should reach a two-state solution that involves the creation of a “State of Palestine” through direct negotiations rather than unilateral moves by outside powers.

Spain and Ireland have been among the most vocal critics of Israel since Oct. 7, when the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas invaded the Jewish state from neighboring Gaza. The terrorists murdered 1,200 people and abducted over 250 others as hostages in their rampage, the deadliest single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. Israel responded with an ongoing military campaign aimed at freeing the hostages and destroying Hamas, which rules Gaza.

“Israel will not be silent,” Katz said on Wednesday. “We are determined to achieve our goals: restoring security to our citizens and the removal of Hamas and the return of the hostages.”

“There are no more righteous goals than these,” he added.

Antisemitism has spiked to record levels around the world, especially in several European countries, since the Hamas onslaught.