Spain formally recognizes Palestine as a state

BARCELONA, May.28, (ST)- Spain has formally recognized Palestine as a state in a ‘historic move towards justice and the only route to achieve peace’ according to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. Spain joins Ireland, Norway and 144 other countries to acknowledge Palestinian statehood.

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Tuesday his government is set to approve official recognition of a Palestinian state, saying the move already taken by more than 140 countries is aimed at “contributing to achieving peace”.

“This is a historic decision that has a single goal, and that is to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace.  We will not recognize changes in the 1967 border lines other than those agreed to by the parties ,” Sánchez, standing at the gates of the prime minister’s palace in Madrid, said during a televised speech.

He added: “The priority now is to put an end to the unprecedented crisis in Gaza, open the crossings, bring in humanitarian aid, and release the kidnapped.”

Sanchez expressed his country’s determination to continue providing support to Palestine and calling for an international peace conference to implement the two-state solution.

The trio’s recognition by Spain, Ireland and Norway is primarily symbolic but aims to encourage more European Union countries to acknowledge Palestinian statehood, potentially influencing peace efforts in the region.

Spain and Ireland, two of the largest and most influential countries within the EU to take this step, join other EU nations such as Sweden, Cyprus, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria in recognizing a Palestinian state. Notably, Britain, Australia, Malta, and Slovenia have also shown interest in recognizing Palestine in recent months.

Source: Agencies

Basma Qaddour