SPAIN’S prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, spoke via telephone with his Irish counterpart Simon Harris on Monday, to discuss the conflict in the Middle East among other issues.
During their conversation, the two politicians agreed on the importance of recognising a Palestinian state ‘soon’, albeit without establishing a date when their governments would do so.
“This morning I spoke to the prime minister of Ireland, Simon Harris, about the willingness of both governments to recognise the Palestinian state and coordinate our efforts for this to happen,” wrote Sanchez, who is the leader of Spain’s Socialist Party, via X (formerly Twitter).
Esta mañana he conversado con el primer ministro de Irlanda, @SimonHarrisTD, sobre la voluntad de ambos Gobiernos de reconocer el Estado palestino y coordinar nuestros esfuerzos para llevarlo a cabo.
La solución de los dos Estados es la única fórmula para lograr un futuro de…
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) May 6, 2024
“The two-state solution is the only formula to achieve a future of peace, security and stability in the region,” he added.
Read more: PM Sanchez insists Spain will recognise Palestine as a ‘state in its own right’
Meanwhile, Simon Harris wrote on X that the ‘formal recognition of Palestine is important as part of an acknowledgment that a two state solution is the way to bring about peace and stability in the region’.
“We are both eager to make progress on this very shortly and our Governments remain in close contact,” he wrote.
Spoke with @sanchezcastejon this morning on the wish of both Ireland and Spain to recognise the State of Palestine.
Formal recognition of Palestine is important as part of an acknowledgment that a two state solution is the way to bring about peace and stability in the region.
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) May 6, 2024
Also on Monday, Sanchez spoke by phone to the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani. The Spanish PM conveyed his gratitude for Qatar’s role as a mediator between Israel and Hamas in its efforts to secure a ceasefire and the release of hostages still being held in Gaza since the October 7 attacks on Israel that sparked the ongoing hostilities.
He also reiterated Spain’s commitment to a two-state solution with the Qatari leader, and called for a joint ‘European-Arab’ framework to achieve this goal.
Sanchez has been one of the most outspoken critics of Israel’s actions in Gaza in the wake of the Hamas attacks, calling the number of Palestinian deaths ‘truly unbearable’ and expressing ‘genuine doubts’ about Israel’s compliance with humanitarian laws.