Spanish President Pedro Sánchez addressed the leaders of the Arab League on Saturday and expressed his hope that the international community should “double” pressure on Israel to stop its military operations in the Gaza Strip.
“Palestine is bleeding before our eyes. Nothing that happens in Gaza and the West Bank can be of no interest to Europe or the rest of the world,” Sánchez emphasized. “In the face of violence and barbarism, there is only room for the steadfast defense of a world order where justice prevails,” he added.
“We must stop this spiral of violence now. That is why, today (Saturday) in Baghdad, I call on you to mobilize all our political capital to reverse the situation and make a firm commitment to peace,” said Sánchez, who made no mention in his speech of the 59 Israeli hostages still being held by the terrorist group Hamas.
In his address, Sánchez outlined four priorities: “We demand an immediate end to the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza. I can inform you in advance that Spain and Palestine will introduce a new draft resolution in the United Nations General Assembly. In it, we call on Israel to end the humanitarian blockade of the Gaza Strip and to guarantee full and unhindered access to humanitarian aid.”
“Redouble our pressure on Israel to stop the massacre in Gaza. By all available means. Above all, through the channels offered by international law,” Sánchez declared, without elaborating on which “available means” he had in mind.
Sánchez added: “We will submit a proposal to the United Nations General Assembly for the International Court of Justice to rule on Israel’s compliance with its international obligations regarding humanitarian access to Gaza.”
The Spanish president aims to “move forward toward a political solution and support the opportunities offered by the peace conference in New York in June. Spain recognized the State of Palestine a year ago. Today, I would like to reiterate my call on other countries to move forward in this recognition.”
According to Sánchez, Spain has been committed from the outset to an international conference aimed at ending the conflict and facilitating the implementation of the two-state solution.
Another point of his plan is “strengthening Euro-Arab and Islamic dialogue. If the European Union and the Arab League work together and provide strong leadership, we will be a driving force like no other in resolving the region’s problems,” the head of government declared.
“Spain is determined to do everything in its power. The upcoming ministerial meeting of the Madrid Group of like-minded countries for a Palestinian state next week is a testament to our commitment to moving forward together toward peace,” he emphasized.
Sánchez concluded: “Spain will continue to rely on multilateralism and will find in our country an ally to strengthen and improve the multilateral system. Only in this way can we achieve lasting peace in the Middle East.”