The Israeli Foreign Ministry has criticized Spain and three other partner countries of the Union, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia, for their intention to recognize the Palestinian State, because, in its opinion, it amounts to giving “a reward to terrorism.”
“This recognition after the massacre of October 7 sends the message to Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations that the murderous terrorist attacks against Israelis will be reciprocated with political gestures,” Ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat said in a statement on Monday.
Sánchez announced in March his intention to recognize the Palestinian State in this legislature, regardless of whether the European Union (EU) reached an agreement on this issue. But last Friday at a meeting with the prime ministers of Ireland, Malta and Slovenia in Brussels they discussed their “willingness to recognize Palestine,” according to a subsequent joint statement.
“The comments of the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, on the recognition of a Palestinian State, as well as the joint declaration of Spain, Malta, Slovenia and Ireland on their willingness to recognize a Palestinian State, constitute a reward for terrorism,” he said. the spokesperson stressed in statements collected by the EFE agency.
In his opinion, “the only way to fight Palestinian terrorism is to unequivocally condemn Hamas for the war crimes, crimes against humanity and sexual crimes it committed during the October 7 attack and continues to commit, and to explicitly call for release of all the hostages.”
“A resolution of the conflict will only be possible through direct negotiations between the parties,” adds the statement, in which it considers that the intention of these European countries “only distances the achievement of a resolution and increases regional instability.”
There are nine EU countries that already recognize the Palestinian State: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Slovakia, Hungary, Malta, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, all of them since 1988 and the vast majority due to their former membership in the Soviet Union.
In addition, Sweden recognized Palestine in 2014 and 13 others have a diplomatic office in East Jerusalem or Ramallah, including Spain.
