Palestinian PM Makes Official Visit to Madrid Following Norway, Spain, and Ireland’s Recognition of Palestinian Statehood
Recently reelected Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hosted Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and other top Middle Eastern diplomatic officials in Madrid on Tuesday.
Speaking on behalf of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Mustafa said after the meeting that “[Spain’s] recognition strengthens our resolve to continue our struggle for a just and lasting peace.”
The meeting took place only days after Spain, along with Ireland and Norway, announced their intentions to recognize a Palestinian state, having been some of the earliest Western European nations to do so.
While Norway is not a member of the European Union, Spain, and Ireland became the 8th and 9th members of the bloc to recognize Palestinian statehood.
Slovenia, a fellow EU member, will also vote on Palestinian statehood in parliament later this week.
The Middle Eastern delegation to Sanchez’s Madrid summit also included Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the foreign ministers of Turkey and Jordan, and other high-level regional envoys, such as the chairman of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Enraged by Madrid and Dublin’s decision to recognize Palestine, Israeli officials have denounced Tuesday’s summit publicly, further worsening the already deteriorated relations between Jerusalem and the EU.
