Today, the Norwegian government will recognize an independent Palestinian state, Norwegian public broadcaster EN Air Co (NRK) and newspaper " Aftenposten," citing unnamed sources. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry has not yet responded to Reuters and BTA's request for comment.
The Irish government is also expected to announce today that it recognizes Palestine as a state, a familiar source said yesterday.
European Union members Ireland, Spain, Slovenia and Malta have indicated in recent weeks that they plan to take that step, saying a two-state solution is key to establishing lasting peace in the region, Reuters notes.
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The Norwegian Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs are expected to give a press conference today, with the announced topic being the Middle East.
Norway, which is not a member of the EU, has long said it would only recognize Palestine as a state if it had a positive impact on the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians - in line with what the US has said on the matter.
Norway is a close ally of the US and has repeatedly tried to help bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians in recent decades. Last month, Prime Minister Yunas Gar Store said his country was ready to make a decision on recognizing a Palestinian state, but had not yet decided when to do so.
Nine out of a total of 27 member states of the European Union recognize the State of Palestine. Eight of them did so before joining the bloc - even after Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat declared Palestine an independent state on November 15, 1988 - Malta, Cyprus, the Czech Republic and Slovakia (until 1993 Czechoslovakia), Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Poland. They were followed in 2014 by Sweden, which became the first country to recognize Palestine after joining the EU.