Spain announces recognition of the State of Palestine

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, announced in the Council of Ministers that he will recognize the State of Palestine on May 28th.

During a special intervention in the Congress of Deputies, Sánchez stressed that the initiative is not aimed against the people of Israel, but is a necessity to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East. He also stated that Spain will soon receive around thirty Gazan children suffering from cancer so that they can receive adequate treatment.

Although the news already seemed imminent, Sánchez’s information called for an applause round in the Chamber. However, parliamentarians from the right-wing (PP) and far-right (Vox) opposition parties stayed seated.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, José Manuel Albares, stressed previously that the Government is working for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in favor of peace in the Middle East, and that Spain advocates the release of all hostages, the arrival of humanitarian aid and definitive peace through the two-state solution of Israel and Palestine. “The Middle East does not need more weapons, it needs more peace,” he commented after a ship transporting weapons to Israel was refused a stopover in a Spanish port.

“This is the first time that we do it because it is the first time that we detect a vessel that is carrying a shipment of weapons to Israel wanting to stop at a Spanish port,” the politician said.