Spain says there are clear signs that Europe is ready to recognize Palestinian state
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday said there were “clear signs” in Europe that countries in the region were prepared to recognize a Palestinian state.
Sanchez had earlier met with his Norwegian counterpart Jonas Gahr Store in Oslo amid his diplomatic campaign to garner support for the recognition of Palestinian statehood.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will meet several of his European Union counterparts over the next week to try to garner support for the recognition of a Palestinian state, the government said on Tuesday.
Sanchez’s agenda includes meetings with the prime ministers of Norway, Ireland, Portugal, Slovenia and Belgium focusing on the EU’s position regarding the IsraelHamas war in the Gaza Strip, government spokesperson Pilar Alegria told reporters.
“We want to stop the humanitarian disaster in Gaza and help kickstart a political peace process leading to the realization of the two-state solution as early as possible,” Alegria said. Sanchez has previously said he expects Madrid to extend recognition to the Palestinians by July and that he believes there would soon be a “critical mass” within the EU to push several members to adopt the same position.
Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia announced last month they would jointly work toward recognition of a Palestinian state. Israel told the four EU countries their initiative would amount to a “prize for terrorism” that would reduce the chances of a negotiated resolution to the generations-old conflict.
Israeli forces launched a devastating air and ground offensive in Gaza in October after militants of the Palestinian enclave’s ruling group Hamas went on a killing and kidnapping spree inside Israel.