“The decision has been made,” they insist at Moncloa. And the announcement is imminent, despite the fact that the Government has yet to confirm the specific date on which the Council of Ministers will approve the recognition of the State of Palestine. Pedro Sánchez is determined to fulfill the commitment that he adopted six months ago, precisely, since the Rafah crossing, the southern gateway to the Gaza Strip.
“The time has come for the international community and especially the EU to make a decision on the recognition of the Palestinian state. It would be important for us to do it together, but, if that does not happen, Spain will make its own decisions,” Sánchez announced on November 24, 2023, recently re-elected president, after meeting the day before in Jerusalem with the Israeli Beniamin Netanyahu.
Since that first tour of the Middle East, after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel, and its war offensive in Gaza, the Spanish president was determined to achieve the objective of recognizing Palestine, with new tours throughout the region and Europe, and multiple contacts with key leaders.
In this intense round of conversations, Sánchez telephoned last Monday the emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad al Thani – with whom he already met on April 3 in Doha – and with the Prime Minister of Ireland, Simon Harris – with whom held a meeting in Dublin on April 12 – who assured that the joint recognition of Palestine as a State, along with Spain, would occur “very soon.”
Irish public television RTE pointed out this Wednesday that this joint recognition of Palestine by several EU countries could take place on May 21. Although neither Harris nor the Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, wanted to confirm this date yesterday. They didn’t rule it out either. “The time is coming,” the Irish Prime Minister insisted in any case. “Very soon,” Albares confirmed. “The important thing is not the exact day it occurs, the important thing is the decision. And the decision has been made,” the minister alleged.
Albares stressed that Spain will vote today in favor of Palestine becoming a full member state of the United Nations. And he explained that his colleague from Slovenia, Tanja Fajon, informed him that his government had just made “the irreversible decision” to recognize Palestine. Spain, along with Ireland, Slovenia and Malta, go hand in hand in this initiative, with the aim of pushing other European countries to take the step with their drive.
Sánchez is accelerating, in any case, to fulfill his commitment before July, probably even before the campaign for the European elections on June 9 begins. And the ordinary Council of Ministers scheduled for May 21 would be the last before the new electoral campaign begins.
Albares traveled to Washington yesterday afternoon, where he is scheduled to meet today with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. And in the Government they assure that the minister will convey Spain’s decision to recognize the Palestinian State.