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A year after recognizing Palestine, Spain reaffirms to lead the pressure by Gaza

When the first anniversary of the recognition of the State of Palestine by Spain is fulfilled on Wednesday, the government reaffirms in its decision and now steps on the accelerator with the pressure to the international community to add more countries and with new measures that force Israel to stop the war in Gaza.

Therefore, at the last Sunday of the Madrid +Group, which brought together more of European and Arab countries more Brazil that promotes the solution of two states, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, defended, among other things, the immediate suspension of the association agreement between the EU and Israel and decree an embargo on the sale of weapons to Israel.

This anniversary is celebrated at a time when Israel’s offensive in Gaza, after the terrorist attacks of Hamas of October 7, 2023, marks a good part of the international and national political agenda and is one of the usual reasons for partisan confrontation to the right and left.

To the recognition of the Palestinian State on May 28, 2024 with the borders of 1967, a step that Spain took in a coordinated manner with Ireland and Norway, followed the wrath of the Israeli government and the deterioration of bilateral relations, to the point that Israel withdrew its Madrid ambassador and has not returned.

The president, Pedro Sánchez, who made this decision for reasons “of peace, justice and coherence”, then defended and continues to maintain that the only possible way to the conflict in the Middle East is the solution of two states, Israel and Palestine, where appropriate with a corridor that communicates Gaza and the West Bank, with this Jerusalem as capital and with the National Palestinian authority in front. The decision of Spain has not involved the opening of an embassy in Palestine and, therefore, diplomatic relations have been carried out through the consulate in East Jerusalem.

Throughout this year, Spain has not ceased to promote an international peace conference over the Middle East and has been increasingly involved in the Palestinian cause, as it has been reflected in the steps that the Executive is taking, which also wants the United Nations Conference of June 17 in New York to be “a great movement” of recognition of the Palestinian State so that those countries that have not done so do so.

Another example of the involvement of our country is its unequivocal support to the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest orders against the Israeli prime minister, Benjamín Netanyahu, and other members of his cabinet for crimes against humanity, or his recent participation in the Summit of the Arab League, where he promised to boost a resolution to stop the war in Gaza and allow the war in Gaza.

For all these reasons, the Executive is considered flag bearer in Europe of the recognition of Palestine as a state, which will help, among other things, “to build a safer and more stable Mediterranean,” said the president in his day, and also flag bearer of the cause of Gaza, where the Israeli offensive has caused more than 54,000 dead, mostly civilians, and of them more than 16,200 children. These figures, together with the famine situation caused by the blockade to the entry of humanitarian aid, seems to be stirring to the European Union, which last week agreed to review the association agreement with Israel, after a request backed by 17 of the 27 partners, including Spain, which had already requested it with Ireland.

Also the previous week, the Congress, with the support of the Socialists, approved the beginning of the processing of a law promoted by adding and other groups to allow the embargo of arms trade to countries that commit genocides, war crimes or crimes against humanity, such as Israel, although the Government recognizes that there would be complications for its application.

Although at the same time, he has been forced to give explanations for contracts to buy Israeli companies, 46 worth more than one billion euros, according to some forces of the left, signed after Israel began the war in the strip despite its commitment not to do so, including one of acquisition of ammunition to an Israeli company, which was canceled last month after becoming public. (EFE)