Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that his country seeks to recognize the Palestinian state during the current session of Parliament (French)
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that his country had agreed with Ireland, Malta and Slovenia to take the first steps towards recognizing a Palestinian state.
Sanchez said in statements to reporters that he reached this agreement with the leaders of those countries during a meeting held this Friday morning on the sidelines of the European Council summit in Brussels.
A joint statement published by Ireland after the meeting said: “We agree that the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the region is to implement a two-state solution, where the Israeli and Palestinian states live side by side, in peace and security.”
The Spanish Prime Minister stated that he expects recognition to be made by his country during the current 4-year session of Parliament, which began last year.
In late November, the Arab countries and the European Union agreed during a meeting held in Spain that the two-state solution is the only solution to the Palestinian issue.
However, last February, the Israeli Knesset adopted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s declaration rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state “unilaterally,” after increasing international calls to revive settlement efforts based on the two-state solution.
Netanyahu's announcement says that any permanent agreement with the Palestinians must be reached through direct negotiations between the two sides, and not through international dictates, as described by the Israeli government.
Since 1988, 139 of the 193 countries in the United Nations have recognized Palestinian statehood.
Source: Al Jazeera + agencies