- Spain advocates Palestine recognition to end Gaza conflict
- EU divided; Spain, Ireland, Malta, Slovenia support recognition
- Recognition sparks debate; Israel tensions and EU unity questioned
It is the mission of Spain.
As the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza enters its seventh month and claims the lives of nearly 34,000 Palestinians, Madrid is promoting the recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state by July and urging neighbouring countries to do the same.
Longtime advocate for Palestinian rights, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, views recognition as a potential key to achieving a two-state solution and concluding the disastrous conflict that erupted in October.
In November, he stated, “The time has come for the international community to definitively recognize the State of Palestine.” “Many EU member states believe that this is something we must do collectively; however, Spain will adopt its own decision if this is not the case.”
Palestine is regarded by 139 out of 193 member states of the United Nations as a sovereign state. Those that do consist of European countries include Iceland, Poland, and Romania, as well as those such as Russia, China, and Nigeria.
Palestine is not acknowledged by any member state of the European Union, including the United States, France, and the United Kingdom.
Sanchez, who has addressed the matter during his recent international travels, has declared that his nation concurs with Malta, Ireland, and Slovenia regarding the necessity of recognition.
The fact that four European governments support the initiative while others oppose it indicates that the EU is a profoundly divided institution.
Sanchez was informed earlier this week by the premier of Portugal, Luis Montenegro, that his government would “not go as far” as Spain without a unified European approach.
The bloc’s members have held contrasting stances regarding Israel’s actions in the besieged enclave for several months, and their views on the Russia-Ukraine conflict are perhaps even more polarised.
However, the leadership of Ireland, Malta, Slovenia, and Spain among EU members in this regard is not unexpected, considering their longstanding stances in favour of Palestinian self-determination.
Having considerably more leverage, the four governments would have preferred to act within the EU framework; however, the pro-Israel stances of Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, and others would have prevented them.
With the objective in mind, policymakers from Dublin, Ljubljana, Madrid, and Valletta agreed that advancing their position within this relatively limited cohort of congruent EU members was the most effective course of action.
Experts speculate that a few additional European nations may soon consent to recognize the State of Palestine and join.
Marco Carnelos, former Italian ambassador to Iraq, said, “This decision may stimulate a few additional recognitions, but I do not anticipate an avalanche.” “Other EU member states will observe the actions of the major members, including Italy, Germany, and France.”
Carnelos asserts that Germany and Italy, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, have “zero chances” of consenting to such a course of action.
Regarding France, he replied, “Perhaps.”
A nation that has called for economic sanctions against Israel and whose officials have been more critical of the conflict, Belgium, has stated that it is contemplating recognizing Palestine.
Marc Martorell Junyent, a journalist based in Munich, said that the Belgian government’s decision not to join Spain, Ireland, Slovenia, and Malta in their effort to recognize Palestine is most likely due to the country’s rotating presidency of the European Union this semester.
“Belgian government stance on Israel’s invasion of Gaza being so critical, it is probable that Belgium will join other nations in its efforts following June when it will no longer hold the rotating presidency,” he further stated.
Other EU members will likely observe the situation closely to determine whether the move hinders Israel’s relations with the United States, its closest ally, or with Israel itself.
Nonetheless, Carnelos does not anticipate any tangible measures from the duo beyond “some verbal reaction”; this does not include economic sanctions or a deterioration of diplomatic relations.
In November, Israel convened the ambassadors of Spain and Belgium after their respective leaders condemned purported war crimes in Gaza. During that period, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen even accused them of “supporting terrorism.”
“About Spain, Israel temporarily withdrawn her ambassador.” Martorell opined that a comparable outcome might ensue if Spain, Ireland, Malta, and Slovenia advocate for Palestine’s recognition.
A “prize for terrorism” was analogized to the four countries’ recognition of Palestine by Foreign Minister Israel Katz in March.
Likewise, Dana Erlich, the Israeli ambassador to Ireland, posed the question, “Why do we reward terrorism?”
Israel’s most recent military operation in Gaza is by far its most lethal to date.
This phase of the Israel-Palestine conflict commenced on October 7, when the governing group of the enclave, Hamas, launched an assault on southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,139 individuals and the capture of over 200 others. Decades of captives continue to be held; some have been released, while others have perished.
Israel has been conducting airstrikes against Gaza with the purported intention of annihilating Hamas. However, with a significant portion of the Strip being reduced to ruins and the casualties consisting primarily of children and women, this objective remains elusive.
In recent months, several global powers, including the United States, have urged Israel to exercise restraint.
According to analysts, the practical implementation of Palestine’s progressively expanding formal recognition will be hindered by Israel’s unlawful occupation of Palestinian territory.
Matorell stated that severe pressure from European nations on Israel could transpire in one of two scenarios. The initial course of action would involve the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, the legal foundation for commercial relations between the EU and Israel. The second approach would be to cease the export of armaments to Israel.
Only Spain, which has never been a major arms supplier to Israel, has implemented an arms embargo.
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Germany and Italy, the only two bloc members to have recently supplied Israel with substantial quantities of weaponry, are the country’s second and third-largest suppliers of munitions, respectively, after the United States.
Martorell thinks that arms shipments from Berlin and Rome to Israel will persist for the foreseeable future.
“Heavy sanctions are the only way European states can influence the Israeli stance and calculations regarding Palestinian issues; however, I doubt that any European state, with the possible exception of Ireland, will be willing to pursue this course of action.” “Germany would thwart such a course of action, and the United States could respond severely in this situation,” Carnelos said.
“In the end, member states of the European Union do not distinguish themselves through their resolute defence of the values they hold in such high regard and boast about with such zeal.” Alternatively, they do so about specific subjects but not others. “This is known as “double standard,” the former Italian diplomat continued.
