Madrid, May 28 (EFE).- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Tuesday said his decision to recognize Palestine as a state “is not against anyone, least of all Israel,” still drawing sharp criticism from the Israeli government, which likened it to “inciting Jewish genocide.”
Two more European countries, Ireland and Norway, have officially announced their recognition of a Palestinian state. Several countries around the globe have already recognized Palestinian statehood, but none of the major Western powers had done so until now.
In a televised address from the Moncloa Palace in Madrid, Sánchez addressed the nation before Spain’s cabinet approved recognizing Palestinian statehood at its weekly meeting.
He said that with this decision, Spain would join more than 140 countries that already recognize Palestine.
“This is a historic decision that has a single goal: To contribute in achieving peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” the Spanish prime minster said.
The government informed the parliament last week about its decision after Sánchez extensively toured European and Middle Eastern countries to gather support for a ceasefire in Gaza and a two-state solution to the Middle East crisis.
Noting that the recognition of Palestine “is not against anyone, least of all Israel,” the prime minister said his government acknowledged Israel “a friendly nation that Spain values and holds in high regard and with whom we aim to foster the strongest possible relationship.
“This decision reflects our absolute rejection of Hamas as a terrorist organization that is against the two state solution,” he said, strongly condemning the attack on Israel on Oct. 7, which killed over 1,200 people on Israeli soil and resulted in about 250 hostages being taken to the Gaza Strip.
The retaliatory Israeli military operation has killed over 35,000 people in the last more than seven months of relentless bombing of the besieged Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz accused Spain of being “complicit in inciting Jewish genocide” by recognizing the Palestinian state after Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz was targeted by the Israeli administration last week for using the controversial slogan, “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Katrz wrote on X that Díaz was seeking to eliminate Israel and the establishment of a Palestinian “terrorist state” and compared her to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar.
Díaz later clarified her words, stating that she meant both Israel and Palestine should “share a future of peace and prosperity.”
However, Katz persisted, asserting that President Sánchez’s failure to dismiss Díaz and the announcement of Palestine’s recognition amounted to being “complicit in inciting the genocide of the Jewish people and war crimes.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas thanked Spain, Norway, and Ireland for their decision, describing it as “courageous” that demonstrated an “international consensus” to end the war in the Gaza Strip.
“These courageous European positions underscore the necessity of having a political path based on international legitimacy resolutions to end the occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Abbas said.
In his address, Sanchez underscored that the recognition of the state of Palestine was not only a matter of historical justice with the legitimate aspirations of the Palestine people “but it is also an imperative matter to achieve peace.”
“It is the only way to realize the solution that we all recognize as the only possible one to achieve a future of peace: that of a Palestine state that co-exists alongside the state of Israel in peace and security.”
Sanchez stressed that the state of Palestine “must be viable with the West Bank and Gaza connected by a corridor and East Jerusalem as its capital.”
He said the Palestine state must be unified under the legitimate government of the Palestine National Authority.
“Although it is not up to Spain to define the borders of other countries, our position is aligned with the UN Security Council resolutions and with the position of the European Union,” he said.
Once the cabinet approves the decision, Sanchez said, he government would “focus all our efforts to implement the two-state solution and make it a realty.”
He outlined three main priorities:
“First, we must urgently put an end to the ongoing unprecedented crisis in Gaza. I call once again for a permanent ceasefire for the entry of humanitarian aid and for the immediate release of all the Israeli hostages held by Hamas,” he said.
He said his government would support the Palestine National Authority in the reform process initiated by its new government.
“Finally, we will continue to foster cooperation with our Arab partners. We are committed toward peace and prosperity in the region. We will continue working with them with the aim of convening an international peace conference to implement the two-state solution.” EFE
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