Sánchez aspires to have the best relations with Israel despite recognizing Palestine as a State – EUROEFE Euractiv

Madrid / Jerusalem (EuroEFE).- The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, expressed this Tuesday his desire to have “the best possible relationship” with Israel despite the fact that Spain recognizes Palestine as a State and has expressed his “outright” rejection. to Hamas, which has recalled that it does not support the two-state solution.

Sánchez has expressed his intention to maintain good relations with the Israeli people in the institutional declaration he made in Spanish and English. before the meeting of the Council of Ministers that will approve the recognition of Palestine and in which he has established what he considers that State should be.

«The State of Palestine must be viable, with the West Bank and Gaza connected by a corridor and with East Jerusalem as its capital and unified under the legitimate Government of the Palestinian National Authority (…) We will not recognize changes in the 1967 border lines other than those agreed upon by the parties,” he explained.

An approach that he recalled is aligned with United Nations Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 and with the position that the European Union has traditionally maintained.

As he did in his appearance in the plenary session of Congress last Wednesday, he stressed that the recognition of Palestinethat has described as a “historic” decision, it is not against anyone, least of all against Israel.

He stressed that Israel is “a friendly people whom – he said – we respect, which we appreciate and with which we want to have the best possible relationship.”

Furthermore, he explained that this decision reflects the frontal and resounding rejection of Hamas, which has specified that it rejects the two-state solution.

At that time he emphasized that Spain condemned “from the first moment and with complete force the terrorist attacks of October 7” and that this condemnation is “the resounding expression of our absolute commitment to the fight against terrorism.”

Sanchez has expressed the desire to have the best possible relations with Israel after the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu has responded harshly to the decision to recognize Palestine and, among other decisions, has called its ambassador in Madrid for consultations.

The President of the Spanish Government has insisted that recognizing Palestine, something that he has stressed that more than 140 countries have already done, has the sole objective of helping Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace.

«It is not only a question of historical justice with the legitimate aspirations of the people of Palestine; It is also a peremptory necessity “if we all want to achieve peace and it is the only way to move towards the solution that we all recognize as the only possible one to achieve a future of peace, that of a Palestinian State that coexists alongside the State of Israel in peace and security,” has added.

Sánchez has assured that starting tomorrow Spain will concentrate its efforts on making this solution a reality with three major priorities.

The first of them try a permanent ceasefire, the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

In addition, it will support the Palestinian National Authority in the reform process initiated by its new Government.

“The Palestinian Authority is our partner for peace and will need all our support,” he stressed.

To this he has added to continue promoting cooperation with Arab partners who also work for peace and prosperity in the region.

In this context, he has stated that he will continue to join forces to convene an international peace conference that will make the two-state solution a reality once and for all.

«With the step we take today, we assume our responsibility in the search for peace, security, and prosperity for all peoples in accordance with the mandate established in the preamble of the Spanish Constitution. But above all, we act in accordance with what is expected of a great country like Spain,” stressed the head of the Government.

Sánchez will receive his Palestinian counterpart and Arab ministers

On the other hand, the President of the Spanish Government will meet this Wednesday at the Moncloa Palace with the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohamed Mustafa, and several Foreign Ministers from Arab countries to analyze the situation after the recognition of Palestine by Spain.

Sánchez assured this Tuesday in his institutional statement on the occasion of the recognition of Palestine that the Council of Ministers has approved, that from this Wednesday he will concentrate all efforts on making this solution a reality, taking three major priorities as a reference.

The first of them, to try to achieve a permanent ceasefire, to allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza and to free the Israeli hostages in the hands of Hamas; the second, support the Palestinian National Authority in its reform process; and the third, continue promoting cooperation with Arab partners who also work for peace.

In this context, the meeting this Wednesday in Moncloa de Sánchez with the heads of diplomacy of several countries that make up the so-called Arab Contact Group for Gaza and that applauds the Spanish decision to recognize Palestine.

Diplomatic sources have informed EFE that the meeting will be attended by the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mohamed Mustafa, who is also the Foreign Minister.

Mohamed bin Abdulrahaman bin Jassim Al Thani also has this double status in Qatar, who will be present in Spain.

Also present will be the Foreign Ministers of Jordan, Ayman Safadi; Saudi Arabia, Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah Al Saud; and Turkey, Hakan Fidan, as well as the secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Hussein Ibrahim Taha.

The meeting in Moncloa will be attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, who, after the joint meeting with the President of the Government, will hold another meeting with his Arab counterparts.

Albares will have a bilateral meeting this Tuesday with the Jordanian Foreign Minister and a working dinner with the Saudi Foreign Minister, Faisal bin Farhan al Saud.

In addition, Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, is scheduled to travel to Spain next Monday.

Abbas thanks the “brave” decision to recognize Palestine

For his part. The Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, thanked this Tuesday the official recognition of Palestine by three European countries, a decision that he described as “brave” and that he assured demonstrates an “international consensus” to end the war in the Gaza Strip.

“The Palestinian Presidency welcomes the brave and bold European political positions, especially those adopted by Spain, Ireland and Norway that recognized the State of Palestine,” Abbas said today in a statement released by the official Palestinian news agency, Wafa.

In that same text, Abbas He also alluded to the statements of the high representative of the European Union, Josep Borrellwho said from Brussels on Sunday that the two-state solution “is neither a painful concession” nor a threat to Israel’s security, but rather “the only long-term guarantee” for its security and prosperity.

“(That) is consistent with the official Palestinian position, which has repeatedly stressed that military and security solutions have failed,” Abbas said today, who also thanked Borrell for criticizing Israel for not complying with the latest order from the International Court. of Justice (ICJ), which ordered him to “immediately stop” his military offensive in Rafah, southern Gaza.

Edited by Sandra Municio