Norway's Foreign Minister Espen Bart Eide handed over diplomatic documents to Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa as the final step toward recognizing a Palestinian state, a largely symbolic move that angered Israel, the AP reported.
The handover of the documents took place in Brussels, where Mustafa will meet with the foreign ministers of the European Union countries and high-ranking EU officials on May 27 to rally support for the Palestinians.
The move by the three states is a welcome boost to the Palestinians, who have sought for decades to establish statehood in the Gaza Strip, which was captured by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War.
Official recognition of the country by Norway, Spain and Ireland is scheduled for May 28.
Some 140 countries - more than two-thirds of the United Nations - recognize the Palestinian state, but the majority of the 27 EU countries still do not. Several said they would admit it when the conditions were right.
The EU, the US and Britain, among others, support the idea of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, but say it must become part of a negotiated settlement. Belgium, which holds the EU presidency, said that first the Israeli hostages held by Hamas must be freed and the fighting in Gaza must stop.
The handover of the documents comes two days after the UN's top court ordered Israel to immediately halt its military offensive in Rafah and six days after the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court sought the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the defense minister of Israel Yoav Galant and three of the leaders of Hamas.