Eduardo González
The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, announced today before the plenary session of the Congress that the Council of Ministers will approve the recognition of the Palestinian State on May 28.
Sánchez made this announcement at the beginning of his speech dedicated, among other matters, to the European Council of April 17 and the situation in the Middle East. In the same appearance, the president reported that Spain will sign an agreement with Ukraine that “will raise economic and social cooperation between our countries to an even higher level.”
The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, “continues to bomb hospitals, homes, punishing innocent people to the point that the Prosecutor’s Office of the International Criminal Court has requested his arrest. The Israeli prime minister does not have a peace project for Palestine,” Sánchez said. “Fighting Hamas is legitimate, but Netanyahu is generating so much pain that the situation between the two states is in serious danger of being viable” and, therefore, it is necessary to “do everything in our power” to move towards the solution of the conflicts. two States, the only “just and sustainable” one.
“The offensive will only perpetuate hatred. We cannot allow it, the countries that defend human rights are obliged to act in Ukraine and Palestine, without double standards,” Sánchez stated before the plenary session. “We are obliged to do everything in our power to say loud and clear that we are not going to allow the possibility of two states to be destroyed. I inform you that after having agreed on the decision in the coalition, on May 28 we will approve the recognition of Palestine,” he announced.
“No matter how many walls are built, the land and identity of Palestine will continue to exist” and, therefore, Spain will recognize the State of Palestine “for peace, for justice and for coherence,” he added. “The Palestinian authority is our partner for peace and will need all our support to restore basic services and security, Spain will be fully committed to these objectives,” he added.
According to Sánchez, he has shared all these matters with the king and the leaders of the European Union and, in addition, Spain “will be accompanied by other European countries during these days and next week” and will thus join the more than 140 countries of the world” that already recognize the Palestinian State. “We hope we are not the last, that our recognition and reasons contribute to other countries following this path,” he added. Following the announcement, the leader of Sumar and second vice president of the Government, Yolanda Díaz, celebrated this decision on social networks.
For its part, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced “serious consequences” for Spain, Ireland and Norway for the recognition of the Palestinian State, which will take place in the three countries on May 28, and has called for consultations with its ambassador in Madrid, Rodica Radian-Gordon, and has summoned the Spanish ambassador in Tel Aviv, Ana Solomon.
In the same sense, the Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain (FCJE), the institution that officially represents Spanish Jews, stated in a statement that “as long as there are hostages kidnapped in Gaza about whom nothing is known, recognizing the Palestinian State, It represents a reward for the terrorist organization Hamas.”
“The unilateral recognition of the Palestinian state by Spain does not contribute anything to resolve the release of the kidnapped people, nor is it a solution to the conflict between Israel and Palestinian organizations, nor does it contribute to peace in the region,” it added. “Spain would have to act in line with the rest of the European partners to achieve the immediate release of the kidnapped people, help resolve the conflict and achieve lasting peace,” it concluded.
“Regarding Ukraine, I can announce that, as soon as the battle front allows, we will sign an agreement that will increase cooperation between our countries,” said Pedro Sánchez. The agreement, pending approval by the Council of Ministers, was going to be signed during the visit that the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, planned to make to Spain on May 17, which was finally cancelled. The objective of the agreement, similar to that signed with other countries, such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Denmark or Canada, is to guarantee sustained military support (delivery of weapons and training of troops) in the long term while waiting for concrete the accession of Ukraine to NATO or the European Union.
Feijóo and Abascal
For his part, the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, accused Sánchez of having started the “conflict with Argentina” “alone.” “What had to happen after his government accused (President Javier) Milei of drug trafficking?”, he asked, referring to the words of the Minister of Transportation, Óscar Puente.
“Why does referring to his wife put democracy at risk and Mexico attacking the King doesn’t? Why so much fuss, but none when Morocco says that Ceuta and Melilla are not Spanish? Give me just one reason for Spain to withdraw the ambassador in Argentina but not in Russia,” he added. “He should fire his Foreign Minister for putting Spain’s interest at the service of the PSOE,” he added.
Likewise, he accused Sánchez of “using” the victims of the conflict in Gaza in his favor. “He tries to be an international leader when he is not even capable of being a leader of his own government,” he proclaimed. For this reason, he asked her, before looking for “peace in the world,” to look for it in her Executive.
The leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, stated during his turn that Sánchez “is not the King, and that his wife is not a State institution.” “Foreign policy should be a state policy and not a family policy, which he has done these days,” he continued. “They call the president of a nation a drug addict, fascist and crazy, and they expect him not to respond. They have launched an attack not on Milei, but on Argentina. Leaving the Spanish in Argentina without an ambassador will be a decision that will go down in history,” he added.
“How far are you going to take your diplomatic attack to defend your consort? Are you going to break diplomatic relations with Argentina, are you going to declare war? What is her limit? Sánchez’s Spain is the EU country that buys the most gas from Russia, she doesn’t want to talk about that,” she continued. “And they come here to be scandalized by what is happening between Ukraine and Russia. Do you know who Marcos Gómez is? He is the Spanish ambassador in Russia, he is still there,” he added.
Abascal also accused Sánchez of placing himself “in the equidistance between satanic terrorism and a democratic State like Israel.” “He has unilaterally decided to recognize the Palestinian State. “He accepts Hamas’ stories, just as they have accepted ETA’s stories,” he said.
