"I announce that after having agreed on the decision with [coalition partners] Sumar, and echoing the majority opinion of the Spanish people, next Tuesday, May 28th, the cabinet of the Spanish government will approve the recognition of the Palestinian state". That is how, this Wednesday, Pedro Sánchez announced the date on which Spain will recognize Palestine as a state, thus solidifying the promise of recognition that the prime minister had already made several times in recent weeks. In an appearance in the Congress of Deputies, the Spanish prime minister commented with regret on the increase in Russian and Israeli offensives in Ukrainian and Palestinian territory, respectively. And he justified that, for moral reasons, Spain has been obliged to deliver its support to Palestine in the same way as it does to Ukraine.
Pedro Sánchez in the Spanish Congress: "We are going to recognize the state of Palestine for many reasons, which can be summed up in three words: peace, justice and coherence."
"It is clear to me that Benjamin Netenyahu does not have a peace project for Palestine," he said, in addition to asserting that the "legitimate" fight against Hamas has ended up resulting in a response of "terror" on the part of Israel, which "means that the viability of the two-state solution is at risk." To further justify the decision to recognize the Palestinian state next week, Sánchez recalled that the prosecutor of the International Court of Justice in The Hague demanded the arrest of the Israeli prime minister. "The request for a ceasefire is not enough," argued the Socialist leader.
Pedro Sánchez appeared this Wednesday in the Congress of Deputies at his own request. He did so to address three issues: to report on the last meeting of the European Council, to convey to Congress Spain's position regarding the recognition of the Palestinian state, and to give explanations about the business activities of his wife, Begoña Gómez. Regarding this last issue, the PM's remarks come 24 hours after the Civil Guard ruled out that there were any signs of criminal activity in the businesses of the Spanish PM's wife.
He also appeared before the deputies of the lower house almost a month after he announced through a letter addressed to the public that he was going to leave public view for five days within the Moncloa government residence to "reflect" on his continuity at the head of the Spanish government. In fact, this Wednesday, he asked all parliamentarians to "put a stop to the escalating insults and lies to other speakers". "We must practice fair play, by going for the ball and not the players", he implored, amid the noise from the opposition People's Party (PP).
In fact, at the last European leaders' summit, a cease-fire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, as well as the opening of humanitarian corridors to provide aid to the Palestinian population, were again called for. The need for a two-state solution to guarantee the security of the region was also reiterated. In recent weeks there had been speculation about the possibility that on Tuesday 21st May some European states, including Spain, would recognize the Palestinian state. But last Friday Pedro Sánchez ruled out this possibility and assured that the decision would be made "in the coming days".
Ireland and Norway will also recognize Palestine on May 28th
This Wednesday, Ireland and Norway also announced that they will recognize Palestine as an independent state on May 28th. The Norwegian prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, stated in a press conference that "there can be no peace in the Middle East without Israel and Palestine having their own states". "It's the only real solution to the conflict," the Norwegian leader told the media. His Irish counterpart, the taoiseach Simon Harris, said the measure was taken to achieve "permanent peace" between Israelis and Palestinians.
In the EU, at the moment, there are only nine countries that recognize the state of Palestine: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Slovakia, Hungary, Malta, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Sweden, which did so in 2004. Now, Spain and Ireland join them, and non-EU member Norway also adds another European voice. In the UN, a full 143 states out of the 193 United Nations members already recognize the state of Palestine.
Israeli reaction: "A gold medal to the killers"
The first Israeli reaction to today's move by Ireland, Norway and Spain came immediately: the foreign minister of Israel, Israel Katz, recalled the country's ambassadors to all three countries for consultations after the coordinated announcement that these nations will recognize Palestine as a state on May 28th. "They have decided to award a gold medal to the killers from Hamas," he denounced in a statement. "There will be further severe consequences for the three countries if they follow through on this announcement," said Katz.