OREANDA-NEWS  Spain will join Ireland and Norway in recognizing a Palestinian state on May 22nd, according to a report by the Politico newspaper, citing sources.

The governments of Spain and Ireland are expected to decide today on recognizing Palestinian statehood, the article says.

Meanwhile, the Norwegian government has announced that Oslo has officially recognized Palestine as a state. According to Politico, it remains unclear whether Belgium, Slovenia, and Malta will follow suit and recognize the Palestinian state on Wednesday.

In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz has instructed the immediate recall of ambassadors from Ireland and Norway for consultations, threatening the countries that recognize the Arab Republic with "severe consequences."

Katz stressed that if Spain implements its plan to recognize a Palestinian state, similar measures would be taken against them.Currently, nine EU member states recognize Palestine. Eight countries - Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia - took this step before joining the EU in 1988. Sweden followed in 2014.