MADRID– Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the Spanish cabinet will recognize a Palestinian state at its meeting on Tuesday morning as the divide between the European Union and Israel widens.
Ireland and Norway are also expected to formalize their recognition of a Palestinian state later today. While dozens of countries have recognized a Palestinian state, none of the major Western powers have done so.
“This is a historic decision that has a single objective, that of helping Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace,” Sánchez said, standing at the gates of the Prime Minister’s Palace in Madrid, during a televised speech.
The socialist leader, who announced his country’s decision in parliament last week, spent months traveling across Europe and the Middle East to drum up support for recognition and a ceasefire. -the fire in Gaza.
Relations between the EU and Israel deteriorated on Monday, on the eve of diplomatic recognition of EU members Ireland and Spain, with Madrid insisting the EU should take action against Israel for its continued deadly attacks in the southern Gaza town of Rafah. Norway, which is not an EU member but often aligns its foreign policy with that of the bloc, handed diplomatic documents to the Palestinian government this weekend ahead of its formal recognition of a Palestinian state.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Spain that its consulate in Jerusalem would not be allowed to help the Palestinians.
At the same time, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell threw his support behind the International Criminal Court, whose prosecutor is seeking an arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others, including leaders of the militant group Hamas. In his speech on Tuesday, Sánchez said recognition of Palestinian statehood was “a decision that we do not adopt against anyone, much less against Israel, a friendly people that we respect, that we appreciate and with whom we want to have the best relationship possible.
He called for a permanent ceasefire, an intensification of humanitarian aid to Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas since the October 7 attack that sparked the Israeli response.
Sánchez also outlined his vision for a state led by the Palestinian National Authority that should connect the West Bank and Gaza to East Jerusalem through a corridor.
“We will not recognize any changes in the 1967 border lines other than those agreed by the parties,” Sánchez added.
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