Spain’s Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has reportedly said that Madrid will argue for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza as well as the recognition of a Palestinian state, in the EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels on Monday.
According to the Anadolu news agency, Albares told reporters that the entire international community should recognize an independent Palestine because “it is the only way to guarantee security and stability for Israel and Palestine, as well as for the whole Middle East.”
He added that Monday’s meeting will be “fundamental for world peace and stability.”
The top Spanish diplomat said that European foreign ministers will meet with their counterparts from Palestine, Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the secretary general of the Arab League to “hear their views” and share opinions from within Europe, the report adds.
Thousands took to the streets yesterday in Barcelona, Spain, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to end the ongoing Israeli genocide campaign. pic.twitter.com/m54ENiJbJp
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) January 21, 2024
The minister said that he will also argue for unlimited access of humanitarian aid in Gaza, as well as Spain’s proposal to hold a peace conference, the report continues.
“The peace conference would serve to implement the two-state solution that serves to create a realistic and viable Palestinian state,” he reportedly added.
Two-State Solution
Anadolu further reports that Albares’ remarks echo the comments of EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell, who told journalists in Brussels on Monday morning that it is time to start talking concretely about a “two-state solution process.”
The former Spanish minister and current EU diplomat said that even though Hamas and the Israeli government may disagree with a two-state solution, it has been agreed upon by the UN.
On the Israeli government’s peace plan, he reportedly questioned: “Which other solutions do they have in mind? To make all the Palestinians leave? To kill them?”
Before the foreign affairs meeting began, Albares posted a picture on X of him hugging Borrell.
Why all of a sudden, Washington, London, and their Western and Middle Eastern allies are keen on the two-state solution, in fact, any political solution to the Israeli occupation of Palestine 🇵🇸 #Gaza #Palestine #IsraelApartheid pic.twitter.com/7hJdY2JGYC
— Ramzy Baroud (@RamzyBaroud) January 19, 2024
Their shared view, the report adds, may face resistance from other EU nations that have been more supportive of Israel since October 7.
Anadolu further reported that German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told journalists ahead of the meeting that a two-state solution is the “only solution” to the current conflict and that “those who say they don’t want to hear about such a solution haven’t brought any alternative.”
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 25,295 Palestinians have been killed, and 63,000 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Palestinian and international estimates say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
(PC, Anadolu)
