Spain has officially recognized the Palestinian state, a significant diplomatic move announced by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Spain’s formal recognition includes the Gaza Strip and the West Bank as part of the Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Sanchez stipulated that any alterations to the borders established post-1967 would require all parties’ consensus.
Sanchez recently conducted a series of tours across European and Middle Eastern countries to garner support for both the recognition of the Palestinian state and a ceasefire in Gaza.
The announcement comes at a time when the European Union’s relations with Israel are particularly strained, a situation exacerbated by similar diplomatic recognitions from Ireland and Spain and heightened by Madrid’s push for sanctions against Israel in response to military actions in Rafah.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced that Spain’s consulate in Jerusalem would be restricted from assisting Palestinians. Furthermore, the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has expressed support for the International Criminal Court’s initiatives, which include seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several leaders from the Hamas militant group, among others.
