Spain is set to recognise Palestinian statehood by July in a move that it hopes will open the way for other EU countries to follow suit.
In an earlier communique signed with the Prime Ministers of Malta, Ireland and Slovenia, the countries committed themselves to “our readiness to recognise Palestine and to do so when the circumstances are right.”
However, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who is on a trip this week to Jordan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, made it clear that time is now approaching and “that we have to think seriously about doing it in the first half of this year.”
According to Spanish media the remarks were made by Sanchez to the traveling press corps in the Jordanian capital, Amman, on the first day of his visit to the region.
While the EU’s long-standing policy is to support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it does not have an official, unified position regarding Palestinian statehood itself.
Some countries are in favour of unilateral recognition, while others, notably Germany, would consider this step only as part of a two‑state solution agreed by both Israel and Palestine.
Sanchez who visited Israel and the Palestinian Authority in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7th has long supported Palestinian statehood and has been critical of the Israeli response to the attack.
A government spokesman also said that they would support a UN resolution to admit Palestine as a full UN member expected this month and that the international community must also help to strengthen the Palestinian Authority including to enable it to govern Gaza as part of a post war settlement.
Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian Authority’s envoy to the UN, told the Reuters news agency this week that the PA planned to apply for full UN membership at the body’s Security Council.
A 2011 PA application for full membership was still pending because the 15-member council never made a formal decision, Mansour told Reuters.
Since 1988, 139 out of 193 UN member states have recognized Palestinian statehood.
Spain has said that Hamas must not play any part of a post war government.
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