Europe not doing enough to stop Israel's genocide in Gaza: Spanish PM

from Daily Sabah

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday accused Israel of carrying out genocide in Palestine and criticized Europe for failing to take sufficient action to prevent it.

"No one that tramples on the EU’s founding principles - or that uses hunger and war to annihilate a legitimate state - can be a partner of the European Union,” he said.

Speaking before the Spanish parliament, Sanchez criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, saying its actions would be remembered "as one of the darkest episodes of the 21st century.”

"The horrifying images of children searching for their families under rubble, or dying of hunger in tents, should not only move us and shame us - they should compel the international community, and Europe in particular, to act,” he added.

He said Spain and Ireland first requested the EU to assess Israel’s compliance with the EU-Israel Association Agreement in February 2024.

"We had to push hard for that analysis to be carried out,” he added...

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Erdoğan praises Spain's principled stance regarding Gaza

from Daily Sabah

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan hailed Spain for its "principled and honorable" stance against Israel's genocidal attacks in Gaza, as he emphasized Türkiye's priority of ensuring the delivery of humanitarian aid to the besieged Palestinian enclave, as he met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday in Istanbul.

The two leaders discussed bilateral relations, regional conflicts, and global issues, according to an official readout of the meeting.

Erdoğan welcomed Sanchez with an official ceremony before their talks, which covered efforts to deepen cooperation in defense, transportation, and other strategic sectors. The Turkish president noted that both countries are working to boost trade volume and expand ties across multiple fields.

Sanchez, a vocal critic of Israel's violations in Gaza, has repeatedly urged world leaders to increase pressure on Israel to end what he described as a “massacre,” using all avenues available under international law.

Sanchez said his government plans to introduce a United Nations resolution requesting the International Court of Justice to assess the legality of Israel's wartime conduct...

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Spain urges UN to take immediate action to 'stop the killing' in Gaza

from al Mayadeen English

Spain will submit a draft resolution to the UN General Assembly calling for "proposing urgent measures to stop the killing of innocent civilians and ensure humanitarian aid" in Gaza, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Wednesday.

Addressing the Spanish parliament, Sanchez stressed that "the international community cannot remain indifferent to what is happening" as violence escalates in the Palestinian territory, where "Israel" continues to bombard the strip and block humanitarian aid from entering. 

Sanchez has been among the most vocal European critics of the aggression, formally recognizing Palestine as a state last year...

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'Pressure on Israel may pave way for permanent peace in Palestine'

from Daily Sabah

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan highlighted the importance of Spain's support to Palestine, as he met with King Felipe VI of Spain at the Royal Palace of Zarzuela in Madrid on Wednesday, as part of his Europe tour pushing for Palestinian sovereignty.

President Erdoğan told the Spanish king that increased international pressure on Israel could pave the way for permanent peace in Palestine and the region.

He noted that the "genocidal policies" of Israel in Palestinian territories must end as soon as possible, the Presidential Communications Directorate said.

Spain, Norway and Ireland formally recognized a Palestinian state last month in a coordinated effort to add international pressure on Israel to end its devastating war on Gaza.

Under Erdoğan’s leadership, Türkiye became the most prominent voice in the world championing the Palestinian cause. Türkiye advocates that recognition of Palestine may pave the way for ultimately resolving the longstanding Palestinian-Israeli conflict...

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Spain, Ireland, Norway formally recognize State of Palestine

from PressTV

Spain, Ireland and Norway have recognized a Palestinian state, deepening the Israeli regime’s isolation.

In a coordinated attempt to exert added international pressure on the regime to stop its genocidal campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip, the three major western European nations on Tuesday joined dozens of countries that have already recognized a Palestinian state.

The joint declaration had already been announced the previous week. The trio is the first major Western powers to officially recognize Palestine...

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Ireland, Norway, Spain formally recognize Palestinian state

from PressTV

Ireland, Norway and Spain have formally recognized the Palestinian state, angering the Israeli regime that recalled its ambassadors from the two European states.

“Today Ireland, Norway and Spain are announcing that we recognize the state of Palestine, each of us will undertake whatever national steps are necessary to give effect to that decision," Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris said at a news conference in Dublin on Wednesday.

“I am confident that further countries will join us in taking this important step in the coming weeks.”

He added that the move was a statement of "unequivocal support" for the so-called two-state solution, which he described as "the only credible path to peace and security."

Shortly after Harris's statement, his Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said both countries will recognize the Palestine state from May 28.

Sanchez said it is clear is that “[Israeli] prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not have a project of peace for Palestine.”..

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Spain bans ships carrying weapons for Israel from docking at its ports

from PressTV

Spain has decided to ban ships carrying weapons for Israel from docking at its ports, Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares says, a day after the country denied a vessel permission to call at a southeastern port.

Albares said Spain’s decision not to authorize ships carrying weapons for Israel to call at its ports comes as the country doesn't "want to contribute to war."

He noted that the ship that was denied access to a Spanish port on Thursday was the first such vessel to be blocked.

Albares noted that the refusal was consistent with the government's decision to suspend weapon export licenses to Israel after it launched the war on Gaza in October...

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Spain leads European push to recognise Palestine, risking Israel’s wrath

from al Jazeera

Spain is on a mission.

As Israel’s war on Gaza rages on for a seventh month, with almost 34,000 Palestinians killed, Madrid wants to recognise Palestine as a state by July and is encouraging its neighbours to follow in its footsteps.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, a longtime supporter of Palestinian rights, sees recognition as a way of reaching a two-state solution and a possible key to ending the devastating conflict that began in October.

“The time has come for the international community to once and for all recognise the State of Palestine,” he said in November. “It is something that many EU countries believe we have to do jointly, but if this is not the case, Spain will adopt its own decision.”

In all, 139 out of 193 United Nations member states consider Palestine as a state. Those which do include European nations such as Iceland, Poland and Romania, as well as countries like Russia, China and Nigeria...

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Spain’s Sanchez says ‘disproportionate’ Israeli Gaza attacks a world threat

from al Jazeera

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called Israel’s “disproportionate response” in its war on Gaza a regional and global threat and says the recognition of a Palestinian state is in Europe’s “geopolitical interests”.

“The international community cannot help the Palestinian state if it does not recognise its existence,” he told members of parliament on Wednesday, adding that such a move was “just” and “what’s demanded by the social majority”.

Sanchez has long pushed for the European Union to recognise Palestine, long resisted by the Israeli government and its main allies.

Late last month, he signed a joint statement with his Irish, Maltese and Slovenian counterparts announcing they were ready “to recognise Palestine” if that could help bring about a resolution to more than six months of war in Gaza, during which Israeli attacks have killed at least 33,360 people, according to Palestinian health officials.

Sanchez is due to meet several other leaders, including those of Norway and Portugal, in the coming days to discuss the issue, Spanish government spokeswoman Pilar Alegria said on Tuesday...

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Spain to recognize Palestinian sovereignty before July: FM Albares

('The State of Palestine has been accepted as an observer state of the United Nations General Assembly in November 2012.^[1][2] As of 4 April 2024, 140 of the 193 United Nations (UN) member states have recognized the State of Palestine')

from Daily Sabah

Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said Madrid plans to recognize Palestinian statehood before July.

Spain plans to recognize Palestine as a sovereign state, as previously mentioned by the president, before July, according to the minister.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez "has a very firm will for it. We are talking with our European partners, as well as our Arab partners," said Albares during an interview with the state-owned radio RNE.

Sanchez "made it very clear," Albares noted.

He added that Spain is "exchanging opinions on the best time" with other global actors to establish "a realistic and viable" Palestinian state and ensure peace in the Middle East...

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