Albares said the change in Spain’s position was directly linked to the high number of civilian casualties since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack and the launch of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, as well as to the lack of progress in securing peace by other methods. He added that recognizing Palestinian statehood was key to ending the conflict in the region.
“We feel the same solidarity for the 32,000 Palestinians who have been killed as we do for the 1,200 Israelis,” he said. “This recognition takes Israel into the equation: The recognition of the Palestinian state is the best guarantee of security for Israel.”
During an informal meeting on Monday with journalists accompanying him on a tour of the Middle East, Sánchez suggested Spain could recognize Palestine before the summer. The Spanish PM has been one of the most forceful critics within the EU of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, and on Tuesday demanded explanations from Israeli authorities following the deaths of seven people working for Spanish celebrity chef José Andrés’ World Central Kitchen in an airstrike in the Palestinian enclave.
In a joint statement released after last month’s European Council summit in Brussels, the heads of government of Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia announced their readiness to extend recognition “for the sake of peace and security” in the region “when the time is right.”
Nine of the EU’s 27 members currently recognize the right of Palestinians to a state, but the majority did so prior to joining the bloc and within a 1988 effort among then-Communist and non-aligned countries.
Only Sweden, which extended recognition in 2014, has done so as an EU member.
