Spain may soon recognize Palestinian statehood
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez (Getty Images)
The Spanish government is set to decide on the recognition of Palestine as a state in the coming weeks, regardless of whether other EU countries join in on the decision, according to Euractiv.
This decision comes after a series of bilateral meetings in Brussels between Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and other European leaders to analyze the situation in the Middle East, clarify Madrid's position, and coordinate actions.
Sources indicate that regardless of EU countries' alignment with Spain's stance on recognizing Palestinian statehood, the Spanish government has already made a political decision and will take this bold step by the end of the current six-month period, as recently stated by Sánchez.
This move, previously supported by the Spanish parliament in 2014 and enjoying strong public backing according to recent polls, "will be adopted in weeks rather than months," according to sources.
Sánchez has recently toured several EU countries to advance the idea of recognizing Palestinian statehood. During the EU-27 summit in Brussels, he met with his counterparts from Malta, Robert Abela, and Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel.
An agreement to recognize Palestine had already been reached with Malta, as they ratified the commitment signed by Spain, Malta, Slovenia, and Ireland on March 22.
As of now, nine EU member states, including Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Sweden, recognize Palestine as a state.
The proclamation of the State of Palestine occurred on November 15, 1988, in Algiers during a session of the Palestinian National Council, the highest advisory body of the Palestine Liberation Organization. The vote tally was 253 in favor, 46 against, with 10 abstentions. At that time, the PLO did not control any territory it claimed.
