Pedro Saanchez: “Palestine is bleeding before our eyes. In the face of violence, we defend a world order in which justice prevails.”

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, participated as a special guest at the 34th Summit of the League of Arab States held in Baghdad. During his address at the opening session, the President invited the members of the League to work jointly to advance the draft resolution before the United Nations General Assembly promoted by Spain and Palestine, which calls on Israel to end the humanitarian blockade imposed on Gaza and to allow full and unrestricted access for humanitarian assistance.

“Palestine is bleeding before our eyes. In the face of violence and barbarity, the only response is the firm defense of a world order in which justice prevails,” he stressed.

The President announced that Spain will submit a proposal to the United Nations General Assembly requesting the International Court of Justice to rule on whether Israel is complying with its international obligations regarding the access of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Pedro Sánchez also advocated promoting a political solution to the conflict through the implementation of the two-State solution. “With this purpose, Spain recognized the Palestinian State one year ago, and today I once again urge other countries to move forward with this recognition,” the President explained, describing the upcoming international conference to be held in June in New York as “a historic opportunity” to advance toward this goal. Pedro Sánchez emphasized that another priority for Spain is to strengthen Euro-Arab and Islamic dialogue for resolving the conflict, highlighting in this regard the forthcoming ministerial meeting of the Madrid Group with like-minded countries in support of a Palestinian State, to be held in the Spanish capital, as “a testament to our commitment to move forward together toward peace.”

The President of the Government concluded his address by calling for understanding, progress, and shared values in the face of conflict: “Spain will continue to stand for multilateralism, and you will find in our country an ally to strengthen and improve the multilateral system. Only in this way will we make lasting peace in the Middle East possible, paving the way for a new era of shared prosperity.”

Bilateral Meetings

During his stay in Baghdad, the President of the Government held bilateral meetings with several of the leaders who participated in the Summit. First, he met with the Prime Minister of Iraq, Mohamed Shia' Al-Sudani, whom he thanked for the invitation to participate in the work of the Arab League and before whom he highlighted the excellent state of bilateral relations.

He then met with the President of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, to whom he expressed Spain’s solidarity in light of the situation of violence and humanitarian urgency faced by the Palestinian population, and with whom he discussed the next steps regarding the draft resolution before the United Nations General Assembly.

He subsequently held talks with the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Nawaf Salam, to whom he conveyed his support for the reform and reconstruction process underway in the country.

Finally, he met with the Prime Minister of Jordan, Jafar Hassan, with whom he examined possible measures to promote stability in the region.