It is a historic step. Spain will formally recognize the state of Palestine on May 28. This was confirmed by the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, this Wednesday during his appearance in Congress, in which he informed the entire Chamber of the decision that will be officially adopted by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday of next week. Sánchez has also explained that our country will take this step hand in hand with other European partners such as Norway and Ireland.
“I want to inform you that after having agreed on the decision between the two parties of the Government, and echoing the majority sentiment of the Spanish people, next Tuesday Spain will approve the recognition of the Palestinian State in the Council of Ministers,” he announced to the applause of the benches of the PSOE and Sumar, which have stood up. Neither the opposition of PP and Vox nor other partners of the Executive, such as ERC or Podemos, have applauded the announcement.
Sánchez has defended that “the time has come to fulfill the democratic mandate that parliament gave us ten years ago and that it reiterated two months ago when it approved an initiative that urged us to do so immediately.” And he has demanded a foreign policy “coherent and respectful of international law” in both Ukraine and Palestine.
“The time has come to move from words to action, to tell the Palestinians that we are with them, that there is hope. That no matter how many people are bombed, the land and the Palestinian identity will continue to exist in our hearts, in international legality and in the project of a world in harmony,” he said.
The president has justified the step taken by Spain by the need to seek “peace, justice and coherence.” “There is only one guarantee of peace: the existence of two states that coexist with mutual guarantees of security as other nations do in many other places in the world. To reach a two-state solution, it is necessary for both parties to sit down and negotiate on an equal footing,” he added.
The Chief Executive has regretted that the International Community has carried a historical debt with the Palestinian people for decades. “We have allowed UN resolutions, the Oslo agreements, and reports of abuses committed in the occupied territories to be ignored. And that passivity must end. Our initiative will not give back to the Palestinians the time or lives lost. But we trust that it gives them hope and dignity. May it serve to tell them: we are with you and there is light at the end of the tunnel,” he cried.
In the face of criticism about the step taken by Spain, Pedro Sánchez has defended that the steps taken in foreign policy do not depend “on the color of the skin or religion” of the victims. “What we do is the right thing and we trust that doing so will help build a safer and more stable Mediterranean.”
Sánchez has also informed Congress that Spain will not take this step alone. “We have shared these arguments with different European leaders and I am happy to say that this effort has borne fruit and Spain will be accompanied by other countries.” With the historic step that will be taken on the 28th, our country will join the more than 140 countries in the world that already recognize the State of Palestine.”
The President of the Government has also sent a message to Israel after harshly attacking “the massacre” perpetrated by Netanyahu’s government in Gaza. “This recognition is not against anyone,” he warned. “It is not against the people of Israel, whom we respect and appreciate and whose recognition I have been defending before the leaders of the Arab countries. N is a recognition against the Jews. Nor is it in favor of Hamas, as Netanyahu’s propagandists say and PP and Vox deputies repeat in a shameful attempt to take political advantage or to demonize student demonstrations that are brave, legitimate and admirable,” he stressed.
During his appearance in Congress, the President of the Government stated that “in a while, when the bombing stops” and the “dust from the tanks” dissipates, “we will realize that we have witnessed, perhaps without being aware “All of it, one of the darkest episodes of the 21st century,” he said, regarding Israel’s war in Gaza. “When this happens, I want the Spanish people to be able to say with their heads held high and a clear conscience that they were on the right side of history,” he concluded.
Following the recognition of the State of Palestine next Tuesday by the Council of Ministers, Spain is preparing to materialize this historic step in its foreign policy. The Government must then designate its diplomatic representation in Palestinian territory. According to Moncloa sources, the forecast is that the Spanish embassy in Palestine will be located in East Jerusalem, the capital officially recognized by the United Nations.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has already recalled its ambassador in Spain, Rodica Radian-Gordon, for consultations. Israel has also called for consultations its respective ambassadors in Ireland and Norway, Dana Erlizh and Avi Nir-Feldklein, respectively, after these countries recognized the Palestinian State, a decision that they will formalize on the same day as Spain. In addition, it has summoned the diplomatic representatives of those countries in Israel.
Source: www.eldiario.es
