The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, Jose Manuel Albarez, said that his country recognized the independence of the State of Palestine.
"We have decided to recognize the state of Palestine. This is a day that remains engraved in the history of Spain, when our country says that in the face of suffering, indifference is impossible and that peace is possible," he said.
Before that, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that Madrid would recognize Palestine within the borders of 1967, before the Six Day War. As a result of the war, Israel took control of territories that exceeded its pre-war area by approximately 3.5 times. Syria lost the Golan Heights, Egypt lost the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip, and Jordan lost the West Bank of the Jordan River.
At the same time, Sanchez added that Spain has no right to "determine the borders of other countries." Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albarez has already said that there is no need to recognize a state with definite borders, and noted that the government believes that this issue is one of those that should be resolved at a peace conference that will take place after the conflict (the Israel-Hamas war ).
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz posted a tweet accusing Pedro Sanchez of "complicity in inciting the genocide of the Jews."
On May 22 , Norway recognized the independence of Palestine. The Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gar Støre, justifies the decision by the fact that the establishment of a Palestinian state is necessary for peace in the Middle East.
Context
In 1947, the resolution of the UN General Assembly voted for the creation of two independent states — Israel and Palestine — on the site of the historical region of Palestine. However, this plan did not materialize.
In 1988, Palestine, which was partially under the control of Israel, declared independence. It is currently recognized by more than 140 of the 193 UN member states, including Ukraine. In general, among the European states, the independence of Palestine is also recognized by Bulgaria, Hungary, Cyprus, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Sweden. None of the countries of the "Big Seven" (G7) recognized the independence of Palestine.
Palestine has observer status in the UN, granting full membership is possible only by a decision of the UN Security Council, but it is blocked by the USA.
On May 10, 2024, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution expanding Palestineʼs rights in the organization, as well as calling on the Security Council to favorably review the countryʼs request to become the 194th member of the UN.