The Catalan government applauds Pedro Sánchez's decision to recognize the Palestinian State, a move that the Spanish prime minister made official this Tuesday morning. In the words of the spokesperson for the Catalan executive, Patrícia Plaja, this recognition by the Spanish state is "very good news" and "more than a simple gesture", since it points towards what the Generalitat of Catalonia sees as the solution of the conflict: "The only option to end the conflict is to advance through the diplomatic route and commit to the two-state solution. This recognition and what is to come from other countries of the European Union are good news, reiterated Plaja, in reference to Spain's coordination of its recognition of Palestine with Norway and Ireland.
After the description by Spanish Socialist (PSOE) ministers of the war in Gaza as a genocide against the Palestinian people - a phrase used in recent days which had previously only been explicitly stated by left-wing Sumar ministers - Plaja refused to used the label on behalf of the Catalan government: "It's not up to us to give it that name. What we are seeing speaks for itself. There are boys and girls, families who are dying because they are being killed just for being born in a given territory. The government of Israel is killing innocent boys and girls and leaving them without places to take refuge", said Plaja. The spokesperson did use terms such as "barbarism" and "abomination" to denounce the attack on the Rafah camp for displaced people. Asked if, after these events, the Catalan government will close its Foreign Action ministry office in Tel Aviv, as some pro-Palestinian voices have demanded, Plaja rejected this, assuring that it has very specific functions that include "providing coverage and help" to Catalans living in Israel.
Permanent representative in Palestine
Hours before the recognition by the Spanish state, Catalonia's acting foreign minister, Meritxell Serret, announced that the Catalan government will have a permanent representative in Palestine "to strengthen support for the reconstruction of the country"" According to her, this figure must strengthen cooperation, humanitarian aid and the defence of human rights. The Catalan Development Cooperation Agency (ACCD) will create the position in the coming weeks and open a selection process to choose the person to occupy it. Serret noted that this type of position is not a new creation but that the role already exists in territories such as Morocco, Mozambique and, very soon, it will also be in Colombia: "The impact of the war and the violations of human rights justify that it is also in Palestine", she argued.