<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares and his counterparts from fourteen other countries, including France, Australia, Canada, and Portugal, have invited "all" governments to join them in recognizing Palestine.</strong></h4> The ministers signed a "New York Call," released Wednesday, "in view of the meeting of heads of state and government that will take place during the high-level week of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 80) in September 2025." “We, the Foreign Ministers of Andorra, Australia, Canada, Slovenia, Spain, Finland, France, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, and San Marino, have already recognized, have expressed, or express our countries' willingness or willingness to recognize the State of Palestine as an essential step toward the two-state solution, and we invite all countries that have not yet done so to join this call,” the text continues. “We urge countries that have not yet done so to establish normal relations with Israel and to express their willingness to begin negotiations on the regional integration of the State of Israel,” the text continues. “We express our determination to work on a structure for the ‘day after’ in Gaza that guarantees the reconstruction of Gaza, the disarmament of Hamas, and its exclusion from the Palestinian government,” adds the “New York Appeal,” released two days after the UN High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, co-sponsored by France and Saudi Arabia, was held in the US city. During his speech at the New York conference, Albares advocated for “a clear timeline” so that “Palestine can feel like a full member of the United Nations alongside Israel and all of us.” Specifically, he proposed “a period of between 12 and 15 months,” a timeframe that, in his opinion, is “more than reasonable” for countries that have not yet recognized Palestine to do so. In this regard, the Foreign Minister recalled that 148 countries have already recognized the Palestinian State, including Spain (on May 28, 2024), and that France has already announced it will do so during the next UN General Assembly, in September. In fact, he stated, the countries that have not yet recognized Palestine are the "exception." <h5><strong>Remainder of the New York Call</strong></h5> Furthermore, the signatory ministers of the "New York Call" express their condemnation of the "atrocious terrorist and antisemitic attack of October 7, 2023" and demand "an immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, including mortal remains, by Hamas, and the guarantee of unhindered access for humanitarian aid." They also reiterate their “unwavering commitment to the vision of a two-state solution, in which two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, coexist in peace within secure and recognized borders, in accordance with international law and the relevant United Nations resolutions,” and, in this regard, underline “the importance of unifying the Gaza Strip with the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority.” The ministers also express their “deep concern about the high number of civilian casualties and the humanitarian situation in Gaza” and emphasize “the fundamental role of the United Nations and its agencies in facilitating humanitarian assistance.” Separately, they welcome "the commitments made by the President of the Palestinian Authority on June 10, in which he condemns the terrorist attacks of October 7, calls for the release of the hostages and the disarmament of Hamas, pledges to end the system of paying prisoners, commits to reforming the education system, commits to holding elections within one year to promote generational renewal, and accepts the principle of a demilitarized Palestinian state."
