Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Tuesday his government is set to approve official recognition of a Palestinian state, saying the move already taken by more than 140 countries is aimed at “contributing to achieving peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians.”
“It is the only way to realize the solution that we all recognize as the only possible one to achieve a future of peace, that of a Palestinian state that coexists alongside the state of Israel in peace and security,” Sánchez said.
Spain first announced its intention to recognize a Palestinian state last week, along with Ireland and Norway, which also set Tuesday as the date their decisions would go into effect.
Israel called the move a gift to Hamas and recalled its ambassadors from all three countries in protest.
Sánchez said Tuesday the decision to recognize a Palestinian state “reflects our absolute rejection of Hamas, a terrorist organization who is against the two-state solution.”
He further said the move is “not against anyone, least of all Israel.”
Sánchez said Spain’s position supports 1967 borders, unless changes are agreed to by Israel and the Palestinians, and a viable Palestinian state that includes the West Bank and Gaza connected by a corridor and East Jerusalem as a capital.
