“No one will intimidate us in our resolve to recognize the Palestinian State, nor will we engage in provocations that distract us from peace efforts.” For example, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares spoke about the diplomatic offensive that Israel has launched against Spain, Ireland and Norway after announcing that they will recognize the Palestinian State this Tuesday. The head of Spanish diplomacy has described as “scandalous and horrible” the video released by his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, in which, mixed with images of flamenco, he assures that Hamas thanks Pedro Sánchez for “the service.”
The Foreign Minister appeared this Sunday alongside the Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, Mohamed Mustafa, after holding a meeting in Brussels ahead of the meeting with the rest of the EU countries and several Arab countries – Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates -, and has expressed Spanish support: “You know you can count on Spanish support for the Palestinian National Authority. You are our Palestinian partner for peace, to achieve that goal that we all want.” And he has summoned him to Madrid for the day after the recognition is formally submitted to the Council of Ministers: “I will wait for you on Wednesday in Spain as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian State, which Spain actually recognizes and will recognize in the future . law and will treat equally.”
Albares explained that recognition need not entail specification of the borders of the Palestinian state and recalled that the Israeli Constitution does not recognize specific borders for that state. “There is no need to recognize boundaries; many states that Spain and the international community recognize have territorial disputes,” he noted.
The minister, who will meet his counterparts from Ireland and Norway on Monday morning, has made a fervent defense of the recognition of the Palestinian State as “justice” for its people, but also as the “best guarantee of security” for Israel and Israel. an “indispensable condition for the achievement of peace.” Recognition is the first step towards the two-state solution advocated by the international community.
Albares also urged Israel to comply with the International Court of Justice order to halt the offensive in Rafah. “There are already very clear precautions that need to be applied. “We call again for a ceasefire,” Albares said, recalling that Spain has stopped allowing the sale of weapons to Israel and will not allow ships loaded with weapons to enter Spanish cities fuses. “The Middle East does not need more weapons,” he said.
Albares avoids talking about genocide
However, the head of diplomacy would not reveal whether Spain will take any action over the video in which Israel accuses him of collaborating with Hamas – similar to the video it released on Ireland and Norway – or for failure to comply with international rules. legality by continuing the attacks in Rafah. It will be an issue that he will discuss this Monday with his colleagues from the countries involved.
He also did not want to endorse the words of the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, who assured on Saturday that what is happening in the Gaza Strip is a genocide. “There is a demand on the South African side to analyze and clarify exactly that,” has clarified Albares, who did not want to endorse Robles' – and that of the government's – position: “The Minister of Defence, who is a is a judge of the Supreme Court, in the field of human rights, has expressed an opinion which is currently being clarified by the Court of Justice. Because there is no other option, we always support all international and multilateral institutions.”
The Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, in turn, thanked the step that Spain, Ireland and Norway will take this Tuesday. “It is clear that we want all countries in Europe to do the same,” replied Mustafa, who has also asked the EU to step up pressure to stop the “massacre” in Gaza: “It is time to raise our voice. ”