Mining firm Rare Earths Norway says it has discovered Europe’s largest proven deposit of highly prized rare earth elements, potentially reflecting a watershed moment for both the Nordic country and the broader region.

One of the few deposits not owned or controlled by China, the discovery of continental Europe’s largest rare earths deposit is considered a welcome boost in Europe’s bid to break China’s rare earths dominance.

Ireland, Spain and Norway announced on Wednesday that they would recognise a Palestinian state on May 28, prompting an angry response from Israel which said this amounted to a "reward for terrorism" and recalled its ambassadors from the three capitals.

Dublin, Madrid and Oslo painted the decision as a move aimed at accelerating efforts to secure a ceasefire in Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza.

Spain, Ireland and Norway recognise the state of Palestine, the three countries said on Wednesday.

"Today, Ireland, Norway and Spain are announcing that we recognise the state of Palestine," Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said at a news conference.

Harris added that other countries are expected to join the trio in the coming weeks.

"Each of us will now undertake whatever national steps are necessary to give effect to that decision."

Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., on Wednesday blasted Ireland, Spain and Norway’s decision to recognize Palestinian statehood, arguing the move sent a "message to terrorists" that "abhorrent tactics work." 

"I’ve long advocated for Palestinian self-determination and statehood, and will continue to do so," Phillips, who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote on X.  

"But Spain, Norway, and Ireland’s premature recognition of a state is a gift to Hamas and a message to terrorists around the world that abhorrent tactics work," he said. "Shameful." 

Europe has struggled over the Middle East for a very long time.

The decision by Ireland, Spain and Norway to recognize a Palestinian state tells us more about the domestic politics of those countries than anything else.

Obviously, the decision of three European nations to take this step is newsworthy and will have repercussions diplomatically, perhaps putting pressure on their allies to take a firmer stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

In early January, German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck embarked on his first diplomatic mission of the year: in pursuit of a Baltic Sea pipeline. But this had nothing to do with Russian gas or the controversial Nord Stream project. On a snowy day in Oslo, Norway’s capital, standing against a blue backdrop emblazoned with the Norwegian coat of arms, Habeck detailed a vision of a 750-kilometer (466-mile) channel to this Nordic nation that will bring 4 million metric tons of hydrogen fuel to Germany per year by 2030.

Archaeologists in Norway said Tuesday that have found a runestone which they claim is the world’s oldest, saying the inscriptions are up to 2,000 years old and date back to the earliest days of the enigmatic history of runic writing.

The flat, square block of brownish sandstone has carved scribbles, which may be the earliest example of words recorded in writing in Scandinavia, the Museum of Cultural History in Oslo said. It said it was “among the oldest runic inscriptions ever found” and “the oldest datable runestone in the world.”