Spanish President Pedro Sanchez pledges to push for official recognition of a Palestinian state

(AFP - VOZ MEDIA) The President of the Spanish government, Pedro Sánchez, announced Saturday that he will push Spain's Congress to recognize a Palestinian state before the end of his current term in office in 2027.

"In this legislature, I will propose in the Cortes Generales (Parliament) the recognition of the Palestinian state by Spain," Sanchez said during an event held by the Socialist Party in Bilbao (Basque Country), in the north of the country. "We will do it out of moral conviction, for a just cause, but also because it is the only way that two states, Israel and Palestine, can coexist and coexist in peace and security," he stated.

Sanchez was re-elected last November. Sanchez promised to "work in Europe and (...) in Spain to recognize the Palestinian state," but so far he had not outlined any deadline. The current legislature, which began in mid-2023, has a four-year term.

Sanchez has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel in the European Union. This has caused tensions with Benjamin Netanyahu's administration, which accused the Spanish government of supporting "terrorism." The terrorist group Hamas even praised him for his stance.