"We are on the good side of history", they defend Moncloa. And the absolute determination of Pedro Sánchez for Spain to recognize the Palestinian State before the summer encourages him to speed up to add more European allies to this cause, in parallel with the movements that are taking place within the UN
After his recent tour of Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, where he met with their highest authorities - all three key actors to advance the resolution of the conflict in this turbulent region -, the President of the Spanish Government will continue the his intense agenda of travel and contacts to increase the "critical mass" of European countries willing to promote the recognition of Palestine as a State. It is the only way, in Sánchez's opinion, to resolve the conflict with Israel, in the middle of the war against Hamas in Gaza, and offer a horizon of peace and security in the Middle East.
On Thursday, Sánchez will attend the informal dinner convened by the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, in Warsaw, which will include the new Prime Minister of Poland, Donald Tusk, and other European leaders. Despite the fact that the reason for the meeting is to prepare the extraordinary meeting of the European Council next week, in Moncloa they assume that the dramatic situation in Gaza and the need to recognize the Palestinian State will also be addressed, despite the fact that each country is “sovereign” with respect to this decision. This initiative, as they trust the central government, could have powerful allies in the community club, as is the case of the French Emmanuel Macron, despite the resistance of the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, who is one of Israel's staunchest allies.
The following day, Friday, the Spanish president will embark on a new one-day mini-tour, which will take him in the morning to Oslo, where he will meet with the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Store, and in the afternoon to Dublin, where the awaits the new Prime Minister of Ireland, Simon Harris. The two countries are also in the orbit favorable to Palestinian recognition.
On Monday of next week it will be Sánchez who will receive in Madrid the new Prime Minister of Portugal, Luís Montenegro, in a first bilateral meeting between the two, in which the Palestinian issue will also be addressed. And, before the extraordinary meeting of the European Council begins on Wednesday, the head of the Spanish Executive is also expected to travel to hold meetings with the Prime Ministers of Slovenia, Robert Golob, and of Belgium, Alexander de Croo, with whom precisely Sánchez he already shared his first tour of the Middle East in November, with stops in Israel, Palestine and Egypt.
On the sidelines of the last meeting of the European Council, on March 22, Sánchez already began to gather allies to commit to the recognition of the Palestinian State, and promoted a joint declaration to which the representatives of Ireland were added , Malta and Slovenia.
"Our objective is clear: to promote the recognition of Palestine as a State, at a key moment in which the conflict enters a decisive phase", highlighted yesterday the spokesperson of the Spanish Government, Pilar Alegría. "We want to stop the humanitarian disaster that is taking place in Gaza and contribute to the start of a political peace process that will lead to the materialization of the two-state solution", he emphasized.
Precisely yesterday, the Council of Ministers approved the call for European elections for June 9, a date before which Sánchez accelerates his efforts to promote Palestinian recognition. At the same time, the Central Government agreed to grant the Cross of Isabel la Católica to Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner General of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), as proof of his "firm support" for the work that this organization – the dissolution of which is demanded by the Israeli Benjamin Netanyahu – is carried out in Gaza to provide healthcare, education and food assistance to the more than 2.2 million Palestinians trapped by the war. Alegría criticized that some autonomies governed by the PP, such as Madrid and Valencia, have withdrawn their aid to this organization.
Sánchez himself already opened the door for Spain to recognize the Palestinian State, even unilaterally if the European Union does not move in this direction, during his visit to Rafah, the southern gate of the Gaza Strip, in November . But the spokeswoman for the Spanish Executive insisted that the purpose of this new round of contacts by Sánchez is to continue adding allies among the EU member states.
Alegría, in any case, asked that Alberto Núñez Feijóo offer an agreement and support the Spanish Government in this matter. But for that, he demanded that he set a clear position on the recognition of the Palestinian State, despite the fact that this is what the PP defends in its electoral program. The minister spokeswoman criticized the "absolute silence" of Feijóo on the issue, in view of the "hesitancy" of some spokespersons of the PP and the refusal of José María Aznar, which she described as "absurd" to recognize as a Palestinian state , because "it doesn't exist".
