2024-04-02T09:36:38+00:00
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/ Reports published by Spanish media on Tuesday said that Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told reporters during a tour in the Middle East that his country would recognize the Palestinian state by next July.
The Spanish news agency and the newspapers El Pais and La Panguardia quoted Sanchez as informal comments he made to journalists accompanying him on his trip late Monday in the Jordanian capital, Amman, during the first day of a tour that included Jordan, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.
According to reports, Sanchez said he expected events in the conflict to unfold before the European Parliament elections in early June, and highlighted ongoing discussions at the United Nations.
He added that he expected Spain to recognize the Palestinian state “by next July,” adding that he believed that there would soon be a “moving bloc” within the European Union, to push many member states to adopt the same position, according to what the Spanish news agency reported.
At a European Council meeting on March 22, Sanchez said that he agreed with the leaders of Ireland, Malta and Slovenia to “take the first steps” towards recognizing a Palestinian state.
He added at the time that he expected the recognition to take place “during the current four-year legislative session,” which began last year.
In response, Israel told the four countries that its plans amounted to a “reward for terrorism” and would reduce the chances of a negotiated solution to the conflict in Gaza.
The Arab countries and the European Union agreed during a meeting in Spain, last November, that the two-state solution “is the only solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.”
Since 1988, 139 of the 193 countries in the United Nations have recognized Palestinian statehood.