MADRID: President of the State of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas met on Thursday with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in the Spanish capital, Madrid.

The President thanked the Spanish Prime Minister for his country’s courageous and principled positions in recognizing the State of Palestine and supporting the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The President discussed with Sanchez strengthening the historical bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to develop them in all fields, in a way that serves the interests of the two friendly countries and peoples, in addition to a number of issues of common interest.

President Abbas briefed the Spanish PM on the latest developments on the Palestinian scene and the ongoing efforts with all parties to stop the Israeli comprehensive aggression against Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, accelerate the entry of humanitarian aid, withdraw fro
m the entire Gaza Strip, and stop the attacks of the occupation forces and terrorist colonists on Palestinian people in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

The President informed the Prime Minister of Spain about his initiative to go to the Gaza Strip with the Palestinian leadership, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and whoever wishes from the representatives of the countries to stop the destructive war against Palestinian people and their capabilities, and to end the immediate presence of the occupation forces in the Gaza Strip, and for the State of Palestine, which has jurisdiction, to assume its responsibilities over the entire territory of the State of Palestine in accordance with international law in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Jerusalem.

President Abbas touched on the difficult economic and financial conditions that the State of Palestine is going through as a result of the ongoing aggression, stressing the need to release the Palestinian funds that Israel is withholding, and to stop the mea
sures that are strangling the economy, so that the Palestinian government can perform all its duties in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Jerusalem.

The President stressed that the only solution to all the escalation taking place in the region is a political solution based on international law and international legitimacy resolutions in accordance with the two-state solution, which leads to ending the Israeli occupation of the land of the State of Palestine, and embodying its independence with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The President stressed the importance of the international community obligating Israel to abide by international legitimacy and international law resolutions, the latest of which was the adoption by the UN General Assembly, by an overwhelming majority, of a draft resolution submitted by the State of Palestine and supported by more than two-thirds of the world’s countries, calling on Israel to end its illegal presence in the occupied Palestinian territories within 12 months.

Th
e President stressed the importance of supporting the Palestinian endeavor to obtain full membership for the State of Palestine in the United Nations, and working to obtain more recognition of the Palestinian state, to protect the two-state solution that is being systematically destroyed by Israeli policies.

The Spanish Prime Minister reiterated his country’s support for the Palestinian people and their fixed and legitimate rights in their land and homeland, and their right to self-determination and the establishment of their independent state.

The meeting was attended by Ziad Abu Amr, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, Riyad al-Maliki, Advisor to the President for International Relations, Yasser Abbas, Advisor to the President, and the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Spain, Hosni Abdel Wahid.

The President arrived in the Spanish capital, Madrid, on Wednesday evening, on a two-day working visit.

Spain officially recognized the State of Palestine on May 28,
2024, and later decided to raise the level of Palestinian diplomatic representation from the Palestinian diplomatic mission and head of mission to the Embassy of the State of Palestine and grant the level of ambassador to its head.

On June 6, 2024, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares announced that his country would join South Africa in its lawsuit against Israel before the International Court of Justice.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA