In Spain, the left-wing coalition government approved the official recognition of the state of Palestine at a Cabinet meeting. Norway and Ireland also officially recognized the state of Palestine.
Spain’s leftist coalition government has approved the official recognition of the state of Palestine at a Cabinet meeting.
Government Spokesperson and Minister of Education Pilar Alegria spoke at a press conference held at the Prime Minister’s Residence Moncloa in Madrid after the Cabinet meeting.
Alegria stated that the decision to officially recognize the state of Palestine was approved at the Cabinet meeting and said, “It was a special Cabinet meeting. It is a historic decision and has only one goal. And that is to contribute to peace.”
Noting that Spain is one of the countries that recognized Palestine with the simultaneous decision of Ireland and Norway, Alegria said, “Spain has taken a landmark, historic decision, adding to the 143 countries that have recognized the state of Palestine so far. This is a decision that is in line with Spain’s commitment to justice, consistency and peace.”
“The two-state solution is the only way and there is no alternative to it”
Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said: “The time has come to recognize the Palestinian state. We cannot allow more innocents to be killed. It is the only path to peace and today the march towards it has begun. Today’s decision will be a turning point.”
Albares emphasized that the problem between Israel and Palestine is “the longest and unresolved problem in history” but it is time to solve it, “The Palestinian people must have the same hope, peace and security as the Israeli people. This is the same for both peoples.”
Stating that the number of countries recognizing the state of Palestine has increased to 146 with the simultaneous decision of Ireland, Norway and Spain, Albares said:
“Slovenia will be added to this as soon as possible, on Thursday. There is no doubt that more countries will join this. We know perfectly well that the two-state solution is the only way and there is no alternative to it. To continue on this path, the Council of Ministers has decided to recognize the state of Palestine.”
“The recognition of Palestine is a historic decision”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, in a statement this morning on the recognition of the Palestinian state, stated that Spain defends “respect for international human rights and compliance with international law in Palestine, as in Ukraine”.
“The recognition of the state of Palestine is not only the fulfillment of a historical justice, which is the legitimate demand of the Palestinian people, but it is also a step towards the peace we all want,” Sanchez said, adding, “Spain will thus join the more than 140 countries in the world that recognize Palestine. The recognition of Palestine is a historic decision and its sole objective is to contribute to peace between Israel and Palestine.”
Underlining that the recognition of the Palestinian state must be “feasible”, Sanchez said, “Gaza and the West Bank must be united under the same Palestinian administration, with a corridor between them and East Jerusalem as its capital. Palestine should be united under a national government.”
Norway officially recognized the state of Palestine
According to a statement released by the Norwegian Foreign Ministry, Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide described the “special day” on which his country officially recognized the state of Palestine as a turning point in Norwegian-Palestinian relations.
Criticizing Israel’s lack of “constructive commitment” to a two-state solution, Eide stressed that his country has been “one of the strongest advocates of a Palestinian state for more than 30 years”.
Norway, simultaneously with Ireland and Spain, decided to recognize the state of Palestine and expressed the hope that other European states would follow suit.
Foreign Minister Eide stated that the recognition of Palestine by European states alone is not enough for the existence of this state to be “sustainable”, and with the decision to recognize Palestine, Foreign Minister Eide sent the message that they support the peace plan that was “further developed with key actors” in the region after October 7.
On May 26, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide handed over documents showing his country’s recognition of the state of Palestine to Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa in Brussels.
Ireland officially recognizes the state of Palestine
Ireland also officially recognized the state of Palestine.
