In Europe, long a vital source of support for Israel, the political center of gravity is moving away from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government. Spain, Ireland and Norway on Wednesday recognized Palestinian statehood, despite vehement Israeli and American opposition.
The growing fissures within Europe mean that the consensus-driven European Union will not change its positions any time soon. But European countries face rising international and domestic pressure to take a firmer stand against Israel's handling of the Palestinian territories, and particularly the devastating war in Gaza.
Among European Union members, Sweden has for a decade stood alone in recognizing Palestinian statehood. Europe has long supported the eventual creation of a Palestinian state the two-state solution that Israel's government steadfastly opposes and voiced frustration with Israel's handling of the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, but most nations have been unwilling to go further.
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