SYDNEY, April 10 : Australia and Spain broke a long-standing diplomatic taboo in the West, becoming the latest nations to support the official recognition of a Palestinian state, according to media reports.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday reiterated the need for recognising a Palestinian State as part of the solution to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which has claimed an estimated 33,000 Palestinian lives.
Calling the conflict “one of the most deplorable humanitarian disasters of this century,” Sanchez said in the Spanish Congress (lower house of Parliament) that “Israel’s disproportionate response is overturning decades of humanitarian law and threatens to destabilize the Middle East and the world”. Meanwhile Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong told an audience in Canberra that “recognising a Palestinian state – one that can only exist side by side with a secure Israel – doesn’t just offer the Palestinian people an opportunity to realise their aspirations.” But also “weakens extremism and bolsters the forces of peace. It weakens Iran, Hamas, and Iran’s other harmful proxies in the area. The official acknowledgement of a Palestinian state has long been viewed as the culmination of efforts to bring about peace between the Palestinian people and their Israeli neighbours.” Her comments come after the United Kingdom, Ireland, Malta, Slovenia and Spain have floated the idea of recognising a Palestinian state.
Sanchez asked all parties involved for a permanent ceasefire and condemned the terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7 last year, which triggered the months-long conflict, as well as demanded the immediate release of Israeli hostages.
Sanchez insisted on the need to “bet on peace,” and establish contacts that are “more necessary than ever to save lives and ensure security and peace in the region, which has a direct impact on our security, economy, and social cohesion.” (UNI)
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