Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said today that it is in Europe’s interests to recognize the State of Palestine.

“What we are witnessing in Gaza is unacceptable. And what is going to happen in Gaza after the spiral of violence ends is not going to be acceptable either,” he told Spanish broadcaster TVE in an interview.

The Spanish premier argued that recognizing Palestine is a step toward peace, which would also be in the EU’s geopolitical interests.

He said he has heard from representatives of Muslim nations that Western peace conferences do not work because promises are not complied with.

“I think they are right. Because all these years, we’ve watched as Israel has systematically been occupying Palestinian territory in the West Bank. And now we are seeing what’s happening in Gaza,’ said Sanchez.

Sanchez expressed his concern that without peace, the conflict could spill into other nations like Lebanon, Egypt or Jordan and destabilize the Mediterranean region.

‘Do we really want to have two open fr
onts? One in the Middle East and one in Ukraine? Politics and diplomacy should help prevent that, and that is what the Spanish government defends,’ Sanchez said.

Of note, nine of the 27 countries in the EU have already recognized the State of Palestine. In 2014, Sweden became the first EU member state to unilaterally recognize it.

Source: Palestine News and Information Agency – WAFA