Government spokesperson and Education Minister Pilar Alegría spoke at a press conference at the Prime Minister’s Moncloa palace in Madrid after the Council of Ministers meeting.
Alegria said the decision to formally recognize the State of Palestine was approved by the Council of Ministers, adding: “This was a special Council of Ministers meeting. This is a historic decision and it has only one purpose: to contribute to peace,” he said.
“Spain has taken a landmark, historic decision to join the list of countries that recognize Palestine, which currently stands at 143,” Alegría said, referring to the simultaneous decisions of Ireland and Norway to make Spain one of the countries that recognize Palestine. So far, this is the most “compatible with Spain’s commitment to justice, consistency and peace,” he said.
“A two-state solution is the only way forward and there is no alternative.”
Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Alvarez said, “The time has come to recognize the state of Palestine. We cannot allow any more innocent people to be killed. That is the only path to peace and today that march begins. The decision taken today is: it’s time for change.” he said in a statement.
Alvarez stressed that the problem between Israel and Palestine is “the longest-running and most unsolvable problem in history,” but that now is the time for its resolution, adding that “the Palestinian people, like the Israeli people, should have the same hope, peace and security. This is the same for both peoples,” he said.
Alvarez said the simultaneous decisions of Spain, Ireland and Norway had increased the number of countries recognising the State of Palestine to 146, adding:
“As soon as possible, on Thursday, Slovenia will join us. No doubt more countries will join. We are well aware that a two-state solution is the only way forward and there is no alternative to it. We must walk the path. Along this line, the Council of Ministers has decided to recognize the State of Palestine.”
“Recognizing Palestine is a historic decision”
In a statement this morning on Palestinian statehood, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Spain will defend “respect for international human rights and compliance with international law in Palestine, as in Ukraine.”
“The recognition of the State of Palestine is not only the realization of historical justice, a legitimate demand of the Palestinian people, but also a step towards achieving the peace we all desire,” Sanchez said. “This would see Spain join more than 140 countries in the world that recognize Palestine. The recognition of Palestine is a historic decision whose only goal is to contribute to the establishment of peace between Israel and Palestine,” he said.
Stressing that Palestinian statehood must be “achievable,” Sanchez said, “Gaza and the West Bank should be united under the same Palestinian administration, with a corridor between them, and East Jerusalem should be the capital. They should be united under the governance of a Palestinian state.” he said in a statement.
