Sánchez calls for Palestine to become a “full member” of the UN and demands “immediate” measures to “stop the barbarism”

Eduardo González President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, called this Monday at the International Conference on Palestine, held in New York as part of the High-Level Week of the eightieth session of the United Nations General Assembly, for the Palestinian state to become a "full" member of the UN "as soon as possible" "on an equal footing with other states" and for "immediate measures to stop the barbarism and make peace possible" to be adopted. “If recognition of the State of Palestine is urgent, it is even more urgent that there be a Palestinian people in the State we seek to recognize, and, unfortunately, the Palestinian people are being annihilated,” the Prime Minister warned at the beginning of his speech at the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, held in the United Nations General Assembly Hall and co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia. “Therefore, in the name of reason, in the name of international law, and in the name of human dignity, we must stop this massacre now,” he continued. “At this very moment, bombs continue to fall indiscriminately on the Gazan population, and hunger is killing women, the elderly, and children,” he denounced. “Today we are taking a crucial step by demanding the two-state solution at this conference, but let us be clear: there is no possible solution when the population of one of those two states is the victim of genocide,” he warned. “We all know that the only hope for civilians in Gaza is knowing that the world has not forgotten them, and this conference fuels that hope. It is an act of moral rebellion in the face of indifference and forgetfulness. Therefore, let us also make it a collective commitment to stop the barbarism and pave the way for peace. This conference marks a momentous milestone, but it is not the end of the journey; it is only, and must be, the beginning,” continued Pedro Sánchez. “Therefore, I want to make two proposals,” announced the Prime Minister. “The first is that the State of Palestine must be a full member of the United Nations. The process for the State of Palestine to join this organization must be completed as soon as possible on an equal footing with other states,” he stated. “Secondly, we must immediately adopt measures to stop the barbarism and make peace possible. Spain, of course, will adopt a plan with measures to stop the genocide in Gaza, and we will continue to take bold steps with those who want to join, because Gaza needs it,” he added. “Your Excellencies: history will judge us, and its verdict will be implacable with those who perpetrated this barbarity and with those who remained silent or looked the other way,” warned Pedro Sánchez. “Let us take the stand for rationality, for diplomacy, for respect for international law and international humanitarian law, for common sense, and for the most basic humanitarianism. Let us make this September 22nd a day remembered as the first great step. Today, more than ever, let injustice not be indifferent to us,” concluded Sánchez, who co-chaired, with the King of Jordan, Abdullah II, the Conference’s Working Group One, entitled “Sovereignty and Governance of the Palestinian State, Including the Unification of Gaza and the West Bank under the Palestinian Authority.” France recognizes Palestine At the beginning of the Conference, French President Emmanuel Macron announced his country's decision to recognize the Palestinian state. "A historic responsibility weighs upon us," he declared. "We must do everything possible to preserve the very possibility of a two-state solution: Israel and Palestine, living side by side, in peace and security. The time has come. Therefore, and true to France's historic commitment to peace in the Middle East between Israelis and Palestinians, I declare that France today recognizes the State of Palestine," he said. Following France, the governments of Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Luxembourg and Canada, among others, including the United Kingdom, also took this same step during the conference. "Today I stand before you, under the emblem of the United Nations, to confirm the historic decision of the British Government to recognize the State of Palestine," said British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, confirming the announcement made this past Sunday by Prime Minister Keir Starmer. For its part, Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, announced that if Israel recognizes Palestine, Indonesia will recognize Israel. During his address at the meeting, UN Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed "the steps many Member States are taking to boost support for the two-state solution, including commitments to recognize the State of Palestine." "Let us be clear: statehood for the Palestinians is a right, not a reward, and denying them statehood would be a gift to extremists around the world. Without two states, there will be no peace in the Middle East, and radicalism will spread throughout the world," he warned. For his part, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas spoke at the meeting via videoconference after the United States denied him an entry visa. In his speech, Abbas warned that the State of Palestine is the only party capable of assuming full responsibility for governance and security in Gaza, through a temporary administrative committee linked to the Palestinian government in the West Bank, with Arab and international support. “Hamas will have no role in the government, and both this organization and other factions must hand over their weapons to the Palestinian Authority, as we want a single unarmed state, with a single law and legitimate security forces,” Abbas stated, reiterating his condemnation of the crimes of the occupation, as well as the killing and kidnapping of civilians, including those committed by Hamas on October 7, 2023. He also demanded an end to annexation, settlements, settler violence, attacks on Islamic and Christian holy sites, and the isolation policies in Jerusalem that entail settlement expansion. “We are against Israel’s rhetoric about Greater Israel, which represents a violation of international law and a direct threat to Arab national security and world peace,” the President of the State of Palestine asserted. “We urge Israel to immediately sit at the negotiating table to end this bloodshed,” Abbas continued, also addressing “the Israeli people”: “Our future and your future depend on peace, enough of violence and war.” EU “Today, thanks to the impetus of this conference, the State of Palestine has been recognized by the majority of European Union Member States,” said European Council President António Costa during his remarks. “Today, in Gaza, we are facing a humanitarian catastrophe that defies words. Cities razed to the ground. Families torn apart. Famine used as a weapon of war. This disaster must stop,” he warned. Therefore, Costa called for an immediate ceasefire, safe and unrestricted humanitarian access, and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages. “We condemn the ongoing military offensive in Gaza City. We also strongly condemn the escalation of violence in the West Bank. We call on Israel to end these operations and halt the illegal settlements,” he said. “There is no place for Hamas, there is no place for terrorism, there is no place for illegal settlements, there is no place for the death of innocent civilians. Nowhere: not in Gaza, not in the West Bank, not in East Jerusalem, not in Israel,” Costa declared. “There is only one way: the two-state solution. A secure State of Israel recognized by all Member States of this General Assembly. An independent, democratic, and viable State of Palestine. Both, side by side. In peace,” he continued. “The time for peace has come, and we have a duty to rise to the occasion,” he added. “When the night is darkest, we must hold fast to our compass, and our compass is the two-state solution,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “October 7th opened one of the darkest chapters in history. We all agree that the tragedy in Gaza must stop now and the hostages must be freed. But ending the war may not be enough if there is no path to peace. If the prospect of two states is no longer viable. And as we speak, the two-state solution is being undermined. This cannot happen. Because the only realistic peace plan is based on two states. With a secure Israel, a viable Palestinian state, and the scourge of Hamas eliminated,” she continued. “Since the beginning of this war, Europe has been the Palestinian Authority’s lifeline. We have put together an unparalleled and unprecedented financial package of €1.6 billion. But as the very survival of the Palestinian Authority is at stake, we must all do more,” she warned. “That is why we will establish a Donors Group for Palestine,” she announced. “Any future Palestinian state must also be economically viable. And this can only be achieved with the support of the Palestinians' neighbors. We Europeans will establish a specific instrument for the reconstruction of Gaza, in coordination with the efforts of other donors. Gaza must be rebuilt. The Palestinian economy must be relaunched. And I invite everyone to join the effort to make this happen,” she added.

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