The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is preparing a response to the countries that announced their recognition of a Palestinian state on Wednesday. According to Israeli public broadcaster Ka'an News, Israel plans to exclude representatives from Norway, Ireland, Spain, and Slovenia from official briefings and delay updates and requests from these nations. Additionally, Israel intends to take further steps to address this diplomatic challenge.
International Recognition and Israeli Retaliation
Earlier today, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris declared their decision to recognize a Palestinian state, with official recognition taking effect within a week. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also announced that Spain would confirm the recognition on May 28. Slovenia is expected to follow suit with a similar announcement today.
Ireland, Norway and Spain,
— 🇮🇱 Phillip Pasmanick🇮🇱🎗️ (@PhillipInIsrael) May 22, 2024
Europe's Useful Idiots
-> There will be more. 😨😢😪 https://t.co/V3flgCOqTX
In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz ordered the immediate return of Israeli ambassadors from Ireland, Spain, and Norway for consultations. Additionally, the ambassadors from Spain, Norway, and Ireland were summoned for a severe reprimand, during which they will be shown a harrowing video depicting the kidnapping of female field observers by Hamas terrorists.
Heart-Wrenching Footage: A Sobering Reality
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum announced the release of video footage on Wednesday showing the kidnapping of female soldiers from the Nahal Oz base on October 7. Captured by the body cameras of Hamas terrorists, the video reveals the violent, degrading, and humiliating treatment endured by the soldiers during the brutal kidnapping.
New video footage has emerged of some of the kidnapped Jewish girls ripped from Kibbutz Nahal Oz on 7/10.
— Irish Jewish Voice (@Irishchutzpah) May 22, 2024
I won’t share video taken by Palestinian ‘journalists’ but the images are heartbreaking & distressing.
Shame on Ireland. 🇮🇪 for your disdain for these girls. Shame on you… pic.twitter.com/B6CdcCAFpq
The Nahal Oz base tragedy saw 15 field observers murdered. Ori Magidish was rescued after 23 days in captivity, while Noa Marciano was killed, and her body was returned for burial in Israel. The IDF has not disclosed the current number of captives remaining after 229 days. The parents of the field observers released the video to show the public the torment their children endured, with one scene capturing a Hamas captor's mocking comment, "You are so beautiful," directed at the bound recruits and another scene where a Hamas member tells his colleagues according to the Mother of one of the captives, Liri Albag "these are the girls who can get pregnant."
The 3:10-minute video has been edited and censored to omit the most graphic content, including the deaths and violent scenes.
🎗️At the Nahal Oz military base next to the Gaza border there was a unit of women observers that was watching the fence and reported first on the attack and infiltration. They didn’t have enough time and they wouldn’t leave their stand - although they were unarmed soldiers with a… pic.twitter.com/9g8S3gVkTx
— Gal.G, Adv 🇮🇱 (@GalG_IL) May 22, 2024
A Call to Action: "Bring Them All Home"
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum stated: "Every additional testimony from the captives cries out the same sad truth – we must bring them all home. The video is a harsh indictment of the national failure to abandon the captives. There is no greater mission, no more meaningful victory, and no chance to restore hope to Israel without returning everyone – the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for burial. The government of Israel must not waste another moment – it must return to the negotiating table today!"
What you just did is reward Arafat for rejecting peace & starting intifada 2.0 - rewarding Abbas for rejecting peace & paying Palestinians for terror - & rewarding Hamas for October 7th.
— Jay Engelmayer (@jengelmayer) May 22, 2024
You’re not a leader - you’re scared of your Islamist population.https://t.co/cOF6CD3iNM
Diplomatic Repercussions and a Stark Message
Forcing the ambassadors of Ireland, Spain, and Norway to watch the video is a tactic designed to highlight the harsh reality of the situation and to underscore the consequences of their countries' unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. This move aims to show these nations who they are supporting and rewarding, given the lack of negotiated or demarked Palestinian borders. Despite several attempts at peace deals, both Yasser Arafat and Mahmoud Abbas have turned down numerous offers, some deemed overly generous by the United States.
In this tense diplomatic climate, Israel's actions are a clear signal of its disapproval and determination to defend its national interests and the security of its citizens.
